The Saccharine Exposure
by Marty522
Summary: TU - When Trent Edison finally joins the Kids Next Door under the codename Numbuh 81, he couldn't be happier. He's immediately sent to work with Sector V when they suspect the DCFDTL may be up to something. But things become unpredictable as his first adventure in the KND may be his last.
1. Graduation

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

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**_A/N:_**** Heyy guys, just a quick note for you before you get started. To be completely honest, this story serves two main purposes: 1) so I could get used to writing in the KND universe, and 2) to introduce several OCs so I won't have to when you meet them later. So, this is more or less a test dummy for me. BUT, with that said, I'm still putting a lot of effort into making this an entertaining read. The first few chapters may be kinda sluggish, but it gets better, I promise!**

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**CHAPTER 1: GRADUATION**

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"My fellow operatives and comrades in kiddom, as Supreme Kids Next Door Leader, I, Numbuh 362, am honored to welcome you to the Cadets Next Door graduation!"

Numbuh 362 had hardly finished her sentence before the massive crowd before her, consisting of almost every KND operative in the world, burst out in deafening applause and cheers for the dozen graduating cadets lined up onstage behind her. Each cadet was positively beaming, a proud, excited smile plastered on their faces, unable to contain their joy even if they tried.

Every graduation played out very similarly, being mostly the same up until each cadet chose their codename and got their assignment. Nonetheless, they never failed to raise everyone's spirits, representing the bravery of the ever-growing number of kids around the globe willing to join the fight against adult tyranny and aid kids everywhere. No one missed a graduation if they could help it.

Numbuh 362 waited a moment for the noise to die down, though not stop completely, before continuing.

"Inducting each new group of cadets into the Kids Next Door is..."

Everyone in the room was listening intently, with the exception of one cadet: Trent Edison. He was trying to pay attention, but his excitement was overwhelming his attention span. He was finally becoming a KND operative. Sure, they were all excited for it, but he had been waiting for this day for years.

Trent didn't think he was anything special. He had white skin, with no tan whatsoever, and was average height for his age. His dark brown hair was kinda long and was usually pretty messy, though he kept it combed off his face. He wore a navy blue zip-up hoodie with sleeves coming down just short of his fingertips, blue jeans and black & white shoes. A pretty average appearance, if you asked him.

However, Trent was undeniably different from the others: not only was he older, he had been working with the KND for years before even becoming a cadet.

Since early preschool, he had taken it upon himself to help kids in need, before he had even heard of the Kids Next Door. His actions quickly gained him the attention of the nearby KND Sector NC, who mentioned him to their superiors. Impressed, they wanted to recruit him, but Numbuh 274 wouldn't allow it, saying Trent was a self-reliant vigilante who couldn't be trust. However, they did make an arrangement with him: he would forward potential recruits to them, and they'd allow him access to certain 2x4 technology. Even after that, his interaction with the KND was limited to occasionally providing intel and lending a hand (or a weapon, rather) to Sector NC when they needed it. But, he was still regarded as a valuable ally by the operatives who supported him, including a certain specialist named Rachel.

After the unprecedented betrayal of Numbuh 274, Rachel stepped up to the position of Supreme Leader. Soon after, she personally asked him to join. The offer was a more difficult choice than he'd expected it to be. At that point, he was no longer a "self-reliant vigilante" as Numbuh 274 had put it.

Ever since his first liberation of a box of crayons from the class bully, he not only garnered the support of the innocents he defended, but others who heard the tales of his heroism. He soon learned his first big lesson in human nature: just because no one else started a fight, doesn't mean they won't fight it. When he first decided to act for the greater good, he didn't expect the others to help. But after a while, one girl, Lily, eagerly joined his cause. The two became best friends, and were commonly referred to as the Defenders of the Playground. They weren't a duo for long before becoming a trio, then a foursome, and onwards.

By the time Rachel had extended the invitation, he was the leader of a small faction of kids who were inspired by his selflessness enough to volunteer their services. His title as leader was mostly a formality, as his followers typically acted independently. But in spite of their local fame, they were still just a small band of freedom fighters with minimal connection to the KND. Their conflicts were small scale at best, so they maintained their independence without difficulty.

While their KND supporters wanted to endorse them as an official part of the KND, Numbuh 274's distrust only grew, ultimately disallowing any member to join the KND. This was met with an outcry from both sides, but his word was final. Trent was deeply disappointed by this news, but he accepted the circumstances, and stuck to his self-given duties. So come the day Trent answered the door and found Numbuh 362 with an invitation, he was totally taken by surprise.

He had taken a few hours to think things over. Finally, he accepted the offer, leaving his operation in the capable hands of his second in command and first friend, Lily. He departed soon after for training. And now, months later, here he was, standing on the stage at KND Moonbase. Graduating.

"And now, it's time for our graduates to become the official newest _Kids Next Door_!"

The resulting roar from the audience snapped Trent back to reality. His smile broadened as the moment drew nearer.

"I'd like to begin with a boy who's been standing up for kids since preschool, who I'm proud to finally have up here with us today!"

She spun around to face the cadets, and her eyes met with Trent's. His smile was as big as it had ever been.

"Trent Edison."

He had to consciously force himself to walk up to the podium next to her, struggling to keep his excitement in check.

"Trent, do you swear to battle adult tyranny, without pause, without fail, and without rest, except for cookie breaks?"

His mouth hung open for just a second while he almost forgot what to say.

"Cross my heart... and hope to die!"

"Good!" She replied in a cheerful tone, and raised her hand in the direction of the stand next to her. "You may now insert your genetic material into the code module, and register with the Super-Incredibly-Big-Computermabob."

Trent almost let out a squeal of anticipation. This was it. He straightened his posture as much as he could, raised his left hand to eye level, and then sent his pointer finger enthusiastically into his nose. He didn't have to fish for long until he removed it, revealing the finest booger her had ever picked.

Now, it was time for his acceptance speech. Each new member was encouraged, though not required, to give one. He wasn't one for public speaking, but this was a very special occasion, so he figured he should. He stepped forward, looking over the crowd. In the next few years, he hoped he'd meet every single one. If it were possible for him to smile any bigger, he would have. He raised his booger finger high into the air.

"With this booger," He announced, surprising himself with the firmness of his own voice, "I proudly join the super awesome treehouse of the Kids Next Door! I will gladly risk all I have, and all I am, to defend my fellow kid from adult tyranny, and anything else that may threaten our freedom! If I fail in my promise, may I be removed from the honorable position I hold, and replaced by a kid who will keep us all free of brussel sprouts and bedtimes without desert!"

He took a step back. The code module was now within reach.

"And now, I accept these responsibilities, and choose the codename... Numbuh 81!"

He jammed his finger into the module, and the process began.

_"Genetic material accepted,"_ said the female computerized voice, and large beam of colors burst from the module and shot into the Super-Incredibly-Big-Computermabob. _"Commencing upload into Super-Incredibly-Big-Computermabob."_

Everyone in the room watched the lightshow above, except for Trent and Rachel, who were smiling at each other. She nodded in approval, and he nodded in appreciation.

**_"Welcome to the Kids Next Door, Operative _**_Numbuh 81**!"**_ boomed the male computerized voice, except for the number, which was said in the usual female computer voice. **_"You shall serve kids everywhere, from your treehouse headquarters on..."_**

He tensed, almost feeling sick in anticipation. He wasn't totally sure why, though, since he already knew where he was going.

_"**Kids Next Door Moonbase.**"_

He exhaled in relief. The room filled with applause as Numbuh 362 saluted him and proclaimed the final words of his acceptance.

"Welcome to the Kids Next Door, Numbuh 81!"

Numbuh 81 enthusiastically returned her salute, his stomach feeling as if it was about to burst from being so full of butterflies. This was the happiest moment of his life. He was finally a KND Operative. He had given up hope on this day ever happening, but maybe it was meant to be after all.

Turning and walking to the side of the stage, Trent allowed the next cadet to take the spotlight. He stopped just next to wall. Numbuh 362 continued on with the next cadet while he scanned the crowd, his eyes hopeful and his mind racing.

_So I really went through with it, huh? This is gonna be the best! Hopefully someone will tell me what to do soon, though... I have NO idea what I'm supposed to do now... aw, I hope I don't get lost on my graduation day! That'd just be embarrassing..._

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"Welcome, Numbuh 747, to the Kids Next Door!"

The ovation following the last inductee was the loudest and longest yet, complimented by flying confetti. By then, Trent had given up trying to figure things out and was finally able to enjoy the ceremony. He hastily clapped for his fellow newbie, and shot him an avid thumbs up when their eyes met. Numbuh 747 had impressed Trent with his piloting skills, and he sincerely hoped to work with him in the future.

After what seemed like minutes, when the blaring din began to wane, the Supreme Leader brought the ceremony to its conclusion.

"Well, that's all of the cadets! I think we've all sat through enough speeches, so I'll just remind you that the lobby is full of snacks and drinks for everyone in honor of our graduates! Good luck out there, everyone. Kids Next Door rules!"

Every kid in the room raised their fists in the air.

**"KIDS NEXT DOOR RULES!"**

With that, the room emptied out, the humming of a hundred individual conversations growing dimmer as they departed from the auditorium. Some of the graduates remained on stage, and were soon greeted by their new teams. Trent was eyeing the door eagerly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Rachel. He quickly came to attention and rendered a salute.

"What can I do for you, Miss Supreme Leader Sir Ma'am... Sir?"

She giggled as she waved her hand side to side.

"It's okay, Trent. We can be informal when it's just us."

He nodded, smirking.

"So I'm not totally sure what I'm supposed to do from here. No one really told me what I'm supposed to do after the ceremony."

Her smile faded slightly.

"Normally, my Chief of Security would have already been up here to give you orders. Unfortunately, Numbuh 921 recently turned 13... and I haven't found a replacement yet. But, as far as your orders go, I already have your first task: until further notice, you are assigned to Sector V. They've been seeing a lot of combat lately, so we're sending a commando in the interest of keeping them from getting too worn out. My best Sector, if you ask me. Their leader is a close friend of mine as well. But you'll have to wait to meet them; they were called away five minutes ago to investigate a suspicious transmission, possibly from the Delightful Children From Down The Lane."

Trent's expression was now one of concern. Rachel noticed, and put on a friendly smile.

"Don't worry, it's nothing to be worried about. But, there's no use expecting them to come all the way back here, so I've arranged Numbuh 522 here to take you to the Sector V treehouse. You'll wait for them there."

She motioned toward a soldier-looking boy off to the side, who waved pleasantly in return. Comforted by her reassurance, Trent nodded.

"Thank you, Rachel."

He wanted to say something more, but nothing was coming to mind. She again eased his mind by extending her hand and speaking the right words.

"I have full faith in you, Trent. I know you'll make them proud to have you on the team, just like I am."

He grasped her hand tightly, and they shook hands with a single up and down motion, pausing for a moment before letting go. He smirked, and offered one last sentiment before following the pilot to the hangar.

"Hopefully I'll get to go on one of those huge dangerous missions I've heard about soon. I mean, I'm here for the thrills, right? I'd hate for this to be boring."

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**_A/N:_**** Yes, I watched the first part of Operation: G.R.A.D.U.A.T.E.S. a few times while writing this. Anywho, I know this one was pretty short; the rest of the chapters are significantly longer. So please review and lemme know what you think! I'm always open to ideas, suggestions, requests, etc...**

**EDIT: *Fixed the episode name. Thanks, catspats31, I can't believe I never noticed. XD  
**

**- Marty**


	2. Introductions

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

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**_A/N:_ My sincere apologies, ladies & gents, I was having some connection issues which wouldn't allow me to upload the chapter. I believe it's fixed. So, here's Chapter 2.**

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**CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTIONS**

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The flight from Moonbase to the Sector V treehouse was a pretty lengthy one, so Trent allowed himself to slip off into a nap in the copilot seat of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Before he knew it, he felt a hand nudging him awake, and opened his eyes to see his new treehouse rapidly approaching on the horizon. Immediately thrilled and fully awake, he leapt out of the seat and into the back, where he donned his backpack and readied his two duffle bags by the hatch.

Moments later, the engines' roar audibly diminished as they slowed for landing. He readjusted his footing to secure his balance as the aircraft decelerated. When he heard a soft _Thump_ indicating their touching down, he took his bags in hand as the hatch in front of him slowly slid open. On the other side was an enormous hangar, in which Trent could already see numerous aircraft in various states of repair. No operatives in sight, though.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out, and looked around. There were all sorts of aircraft, some of which he recognized, but most were unfamiliar to him. The walls of the hanger were mostly blank, a notable exception being a door on the back wall. Assuming it to be the hangar's exit, Trent headed that direction. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. lifted off once he was a safe distance away and flew off back to Moonbase. He turned his head and watched it fly off for a few seconds. The Kids Next Door's 2x4 tech still managed to impress him.

As soon as the sounds of jet engines disappeared from his ears, the far door opened, and out stepped a bald, red turtleneck-wearing boy, who Trent immediately recognized by his sunglasses alone. His heart pounding, his mind racing with anxiety and hopes for his new team's approval, Trent attempted to maintain a normal, casual pace. He was close to breaking into a sweat. Though his eyes were masked by his shades, the other boy looked very serious, and had an air of authority around him. When the two were almost face to face, Trent dropped his bags and saluted his new commanding officer.

"Sir, Numbuh 81, reporting for duty, sir!"

Numbuh 1 simply looked at him for a moment, then smiled and returned the salute.

"Welcome to Sector V, Numbuh 81. I'm Nigel Uno, better known as Numbuh 1, leader of Sector V. It's a pleasure to have you here."

"The pleasure's all mine, sir."

Numbuh 1 shook his hand in light exasperation , then crossed his arms in a casual manner.

"No need to overdo the formalities, Numbuh 81. We're a very close team here, and I'm just another operative like you."

"If you say so," Trent replied, secretly relieved by Numbuh 1's humility and coolness.

"Anyway, my apologies for having the leave your commissioning early, a mission popped up which required our immediate attention."

Trent nodded. "Yeah, Numbuh 362 mentioned that. Something about the Delightful Children From Down The Lane?"

"Yes, KND analysts intercepted a transmission with... interesting contents. We reasoned it was likely from the Delightful Brats, but when we traced it back to its source we found only an empty shack."

He looked at the newcomer over his sunglasses, then cleared his throat. That's when Trent noticed the bags under his eyes; he looked exhausted.

"We're pretty sure it was just a false alarm. At any rate, the rest of the team is resting, they've been very busy lately. You'll meet them soon enough. So, let's get you settled in!"

Numbuh 1 turned and headed back to the door. Grabbing his bags, Trent hastily followed, still taking in his surroundings. The door opened into a hallway, and Trent couldn't help but wonder what the many doors all led to. He knew KND treehouses were huge, but he'd never actually been in one before. He was amazed.

"So, Numbuh 81, what's your specialty?" Numbuh 1 asked, looking over his shoulder at Trent.

"I'm primarily a 2x4 weapons expert and sharpshooter, but I'm also a qualified Kids Next Door negotiator. Also have training in stealth, recon, demolitions, medical..."

"A sharpshooter _and_ a negotiator?" Numbuh 1 repeated, seeming a little surprised. "Unusual combination, though useful if things don't go your way. Not a lot of kids get picked for either training, much less both. You must be exceptional... What's your name?"

"Trent. Trent Edison."

Numbuh 1 nodded, then motioned to the doorway marking the end of the hallway. Through it, a room with only a couch, a couple large chairs, and a large TV mounted in front of it. On the TV was a series of really buff dudes throwing heavy stuff around, though Trent couldn't tell if anyone was sitting on the couch.

"Well, I'm going to go get some shuteye, I'm about to fall asleep standing here. Numbuh 4 here will show you to your room. So welcome to the team; while you're here, we do consider you part of the team. Hopefully we'll be able to keep you around for a while."

With that, Numbuh 1 promptly turned and stumbled off toward his room. As if on cue, a short blonde boy in an orange hoodie vaulted over the couch and strode up to him.

"So, you're the support Moonbase sent us, eh? I'm Numbuh 4, and I'm about the awesomest fighter here. Did I hear right? You're a commando? Nice to get another brawler on the team! Numbuh 81, right? You can call me Wally!"

The boy seemed to take a liking to Trent, much to his easement. He could feel his nerves easing.

"Wally. I'm Trent. Good to meet you, dude."

"I know. So, your room is a little ways down this hallway," he continued, pointing to a doorway just opposite the one he entered from. "Down past Numbuh 5's room. A pretty nice room, I considered taking it for myself- here, lemme get onea them bags for ya!" Wally swiftly swiped one of the duffle bags, throwing it over his shoulder and heading for the hallway.

"Thanks, and glad to hear it," Trent replied, lifting the strap of the remaining bag to his right shoulder. He jogged for a moment to catch up to Wally. "Anything I should know about this place? Or the other members?"

"Nahh, not really," he shrugged. "Well... do you like hamsters?"

"Um... I guess. Why?"

"The little tikes are everywhere here! We use 'em to power the treehouse, but I think they're nothing but trouble! Especially Joaquin! Always stealin' my sodas..."

Trent cocked an eyebrow at Wally's resentment, even found it a little amusing. But he doubted a smirk would fare well for him, so he kept it on the inside.

"Anyways," he resumed, shaking it off, "I guess you've only met Numbuh 1 so far. Here's the others in a nutshell: Numbuh 2 is my good bud, he's an expert with all 2x4 tech stuff. Look out for his jokes, though; they'll make you wanna hurt someone."

Trent noticed a door on his right which displayed a large 5 on it in red paint. He could've been wrong, but he was willing to bet it was Numbuh 5's room. He just got that feeling.

"Numbuh 3 is the girliest girl ever. It's sickening. Loves her stuffed animals and _Rainbow Monkeys_ and crud like that." He pretended to gag at the mention of Rainbow Monkeys. "Careful she doesn't drag you into onea her tea parties. Last of all, Numbuh 5. She's our second in command. She's hard to describe. Pretty cool, I think she likes to keep secrets since she's a spy an' all, and she can be kinda mean sometimes, so don't get on her bad side. Well, here we are!"

Wally stopped at the door which already had the number '81' painted on it in red. "Went ahead and marked it for ya." He kicked the door, causing it to slide open with a _Hiss_, and marched on in.

Trent marveled at the size of his room. It looked to be two stories tall, with the width and length of the square room the size of a small house. It was empty, except for a couple of dressers, a closet, a large bed, and a nightstand next to it. There was also a door which led into a good sized bathroom. Every surface in the main room was the same treehouse wood, except for the wall to the left of the entrance, which was mostly one big window. In the middle was a door that led out to a balcony, the edge of which was only about 10 feet out, but the width matched that of his room.

"You can do whatever ya want with it, since you'll probably be here a while," Wally continued, strolling over to the bed and dropping the duffle bag on it. Trent took another moment to absorb his new room, before joining his new Aussie friend by his side.

"Not really sure what else there is to tell ya. You'll get used to how things work around here real quick. But if ya get a hankerin' for a good fight, lemme know, alright?"

Trent nodded, removing his backpack and tossing it next to his bed.

"Will do, man."

Wally grinned, probably at the thought that he had someone else he could regularly practice fighting with now, and walked towards the door. Trent decided to go ahead and unpack. He unzipped his duffle bag, promptly turned it upside down and dumped out its contents, being mostly clothes. The door hissed as Numbuh 4 left. Trent listened for the second _Hiss_ indicating it shutting, but it didn't come. He looked over to see the reason, and found it to be a girl standing in the way. She wore a large red hat, which cast a shadow hiding her eyes, and a blue shirt. Like she others, she looked exhausted, but bore a welcoming grin all the same.

"Trent Edison," she stated. Trent got the impression she already knew about him. "Mind if Numbuh 5 comes in?"

He motioned to his side with both hands, attempting to appear relaxed . "Please, be my guest."

She casually approached, presumably examining him as she did. He just watched, tensing up as his need for approval returned. She stopped a few feet away from him, extending a gracious hand in greeting.

"Numbuh 5 is familiar with your history with the KND," She said approvingly as Trent shook her hand. "My sister was a big supporter of yours when you first started your operation. Numbuh 5 knew she'd see you join us one day. You're a hero to a lotta kids."

Trent's face reddened. "What? No. Nah, uh... I just did what... fought some bullies, retrieved kids' crayons... nothing big. Hero is a _ginormous_ exaggeration!"

"Ya don't gotta save the world from ending to be a hero," She stated unwaveringly, chuckling at his anxiousness. "Sometimes rescuing a little girl's Rosie Rainbow Monkey from the class bully is all it takes to become her hero."

"Err, maybe. But I'm still not a hero. Just trying to be a good guy, ya know?"

She smirked. "And you've done a good job so far. Modest, too. Numbuh 5 likes. I'm Abigail Lincoln, by the way."

"Abigail Lincoln... One of the first KND operatives I ever met was Numbuh 11, Cree Lincoln. She was really cool. Looked a lot like you, even the hat."

Abby removed her hat and looked at it for a moment, her smile waning. "Yeah, this used to be hers, before she gave it to me. That was a long time ago, though. Since then, she's... well, she's a teenager now. Defected before we could decommission her."

Trent's eyes widened at that last part. "Wow, that... sorry, I didn't know."

She shrugged, donning the hat, covering her eyes again. "Numbuh 5 isn't worried about it. Cree made her choice."

"Well, it's good to meet you, Abby. I'm Numbuh 81."

Her gaze returned to his, and her smirk returned and widened into a full smile when he said his introduction.

"Numbuh 81, operative in the Kids Next Door. About time. You've earned it, and then some."

There was a quick moment of silence, which Trent took advantage of the get a better look at her. She really did look like her sister, even without the hat. That was fine with him, he thought Numbuh 11 as really pretty, and Abby topped her in that regard.

Abby spoke up first. "Well, Numbuh 5 just wanted to meet you before she headed off into dreamland. She knows you won't agree, but Numbuh 5 still thinks you're a hero. It's great to have you here. My room's right down the hall if you need anything. Just remember, while you're here, this is your treehouse too."

"Thanks, Numbuh 5. I think I'm fine right now. Go get some sleep."

"Heh, don't gotta tell Numbuh 5 twice. See ya tomorrow, Numbuh 81."

Trent once again turned to his bed and proceeded to dump out his second duffle bag, then took the next 10 minutes to put everything away in his closet, which turned out to be a sizeable walk-in closet, and one of the dressers. He took his time, using the dull task as a relaxant. When he finished, he stuffed the now-empty bags under his bed, then hopped up onto it. He sat with his legs hanging over the side, looking around his room once more. He had no idea how he'd possibly use this much space, but he got the impression that he was gonna have plenty of time to figure that out. Plus he did have a few ideas already.

_A sound system will definitely be necessary._

Chuckling to himself, he slid off his bed and strode over to his bathroom. He flipped the lights on and just stared into the mirror for a minute, thinking about his good fortune yet again.

_Numbuh 81, Kids Next Door special forces..._

He grinned at the thought. He wasn't usually a particularly proud individual, but he was overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment. Still, tooting his own horn wasn't really his game, so he flipped the lights off and exited the bathroom.

He froze in his tracks, bewildered by the sight in front of him: The floor of his room, empty just moments before, was now covered with... hamsters. He stared at the furry horde, and they stared back.

"Um... hi?"

At his words, a tan-colored hamster scampered out of the crowd, coming right up to his feet. They exchanged glances for a moment before a name popped into Trent's head from an earlier warning.

"Joaquin?" He asked. As he did, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an almond candy bar, and handed it to the lead hamster as a token of amity.

Joaquin jumped up down excitedly, then turned to the others, who did the same. Joaquin turned back to Trent, waved, said something that sounded like "Bye bye!" and followed the others as they filtered out of the room.

_That was odd. At least they like me, I think._

It was a nice day outside, with only a few clouds visible from his window wall. He realized he had no idea what time it was, but judging from the light, he guessed it was early evening. And, for some reason, that made him hungry. At least, it reminded him. He thought he saw a kitchen area next to the TV room, and his new mission in life was to find it. He took his appetite very seriously.

He turned off the overhead lights and exited the room. After a moment of reflection, he decided that left was the right direction. He passed by Numbuh 5's room before too long, and allowed himself to feel a little pride in his correct choice. The rest of the hallway was unremarkable, with only a few other unmarked doors spread around it.

Finally, he reached the TV room again, though it was now quiet and deserted. Wally must've turned in. Trent looked around, and indeed found the door leading to the kitchen. He went straight for the refrigerator, and opened it to find it full of junk food, desserts, and sodas. It was glorious; his stomach rumbled in sheer anticipation. He didn't even know where to start. He grabbed a soda and popped it open while he contemplated his impending snack. Ultimately deciding on the remaining half of a pepperoni pizza, still in the box, he liberated it from the second shelf, shut the door and headed over to the table nearby.

As he devoured the delicious leftovers, he didn't notice another figure slipping into the kitchen behind him. With his full concentration devoted to the pizza, the sound of the fridge and cabinet doors opening and closing failed to warrant his attention. It wasn't until he sensed someone approaching him from behind and he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye that he froze, already halfway done with his miniature feast. While not worried about some villain breaking into the treehouse to disrupt his snack, he was still taken by surprise that someone gotten that close in an empty room without him noticing. Additionally, he still hadn't met everyone, so he didn't know what to expect when he turned his head.

Braving the unknown, he quickly turned his head to face the newcomer behind him. Standing there in an oversized purple nightshirt and yellow fuzzy slippers was a girl, whose messy hair gave the impression she had recently woken up. Her head was cocked slightly to the side, her expression curious. She had a glass of milk in her hands, and a cyan Rainbow Monkey in similar attire tucked under her right arm. Trent mentally noted that she was incredibly cute.

He realized there were both just staring, and quickly became discomforted by the silence. So he made an attempt to break it.

"Um... hi. I'm, uh, Trent. Err, I just got here. Uh, I'm here from Moonba-"

Her face suddenly lit up with realization. "OOOH, you're you!"

"Uh... yeah. Me"

She giggled, walked over and set her glass on the table a couple seats over from him. She tenderly placed her Rainbow Monkey in the seat next to him, and climbed into the chair on the opposite side.

"Naw, I mean, you're Numbuh 81! Numbuh 5 told me you were coming. It's nice to meet you! I'm Numbuh 3, but you can call me Kuki!"

Trent was oblivious to the big grin on his face. His social ineptness was in full blast. He couldn't think of what to say, so he picked up the next piece of pizza and continued eating. She took a long drink before trying to spark a conversation.

"So how much do ya like Rainbow Monkeys?"

Well, it was a better starter than he had offered, anyway.

"Uh... they're pretty nice. I guess."

She looked down at her colorful companion, as if it were talking to her. She brought her non-spoon hand up to her mouth as she giggled to herself.

"Mister Beddy-Bye Rainbow Monkey says you don't seem like a big fan. That's okay, though, some boys aren't. Like Numbuh 4."

Trent thought back to Wally gagging at his own mention of Rainbow Monkeys. Seemed like a reasonable statement to him. Still, he was a little disappointed with himself: his first talk with the girl and he'd already shot down her attempt to connect.

_Dude, calm down, man. _He thought to himself, tugging at his collar his collar to let some of the built-up hot air escape. _Like she said, it's normal for boys not to like Rainbow Monkeys. Besides, you always overthink things. Just calm the heck down._

"Well, _I _love 'em. And every stuffed animal, really. And hamsters, and furry kitty cats, and-"

She spent the next few minutes listing of cute and adorable things she liked. Trent had no problem with girls being girly, but even he started feeling a little queasy. He'd finished his pizza, so now he was just sipping his soda and listening politely. She was very enthusiastic about informing him of everything soft and fluffy that popped into her mind. He got the idea she was a very enthusiastic person in general.

"And... oh, I think you get the point!"

He snapped back to reality and returned his eyes back to hers. She was beaming. Trent felt comfortable just being near her.

"Yeah, I get it," He confirmed thankfully. "So what're you doing up right now? Everyone else has been super tired. Aren't you?"

"Yeeeaaahhh, but I took a nap on the flight back from the last mission. I'm still tired, but I'm thirsty, too. So I got some warm milk. That helps people sleep, right?"

Trent nodded. He really wished he could think of something to talk about, but nothing was coming to mind. He cursed himself for not being more socially adept.

"Sooo," Kuki said, as if interpreting his thoughts, "Tell me about yourself!"

"Well, I'm new to the Kids Next Door. I'm a negotiator and a 2x4 weapon specialist-"

"No, silly," she interrupted pleasantly, "I mean about you!"

He took a moment to think of something impressive to say. Nothing came to mind.

"WelI, uh, I like video games, playing outside, snow... not a fan of the beach, though. Um... I admit that I'm kinda boring. I don't really know what else to tell."

"Naw," she waved her hand, or sleeve, rather, at him, "I think you're really cool!"

He felt himself blush slightly as the room temperature seemed to rise. He tried to fight it, hoping she didn't notice.

"Thank you, Number 3. I think you're really cu... uh, cool, too."

His face reddened further.

_Smooth, dummy._ He thought, annoyed with himself.

She giggled again. She probably did that a lot, though. Surely she didn't notice. Still, this wasn't going well. Maybe he should just go back to his room and wait until he could make a better impression.

"Ugh..."

The two turned to the doorway, where a chubby boy stood, wavering a little. He was sweaty and had numerous oil stains on his clothes.

"Numbuh twooo!" Kuki said exasperated, "Why are you still awake? Numbuh 1 told you to go to sleep as soon as we landed!"

Numbuh 2 shook his head. "Hadta fix the fuel pipe before it starting leaking..."

Trent could barely hear him, he was mumbling. Numbuh 2 looked at him, as if just realizing he was sitting there.

"Oh. Hi. I'm Hoagie. Numbuh 2. I fix stuff."

With that, he turned and disappeared. Trent and Kuki watched the doorway for a second before exchanging glances.

"Sooo," Kuki started. She downed the last little bit of milk. "Yeah. That was Numbuh 2."

"Yeah. I gathered that."

She yawned and stretched, then stared at him. Trent couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"The warm milk kicking in already?" He joked. Her react was delayed a second, eyes widening slightly.

"Huh?"

He grinned, amused. "G'night, Numbuh 3."

"Oh... okay. Good night."

The two stepped away from the table, and Trent watched her as she left. He was keen to become better friends with her. He yawned, then stretch his arms over his head. Sleepiness was contagious. Guess he'd turn in early tonight. Not that he really had anything else to do. He set off to return to his room, glancing behind him as a habit before he left the room. When he did, he spotted Kuki's Beddy-Bye Rainbow Monkey still in the chair. He approached it, reached out and gingerly picked it up, examining it for a moment.

_She'll probably want this. _He thought, turning back around and walking forward. _Well, she'll probably be asleep by the time I find her room... I'll just hold onto it and give it back in the morning._

During the short trip back to his room, he reviewed everything in his head. Graduated and commissioned. Currently assigned to the renowned Sector V. His team accepted him immediately. His treehouse base was indescribable. His old acquaintance Numbuh 11 was now an enemy teenager. Numbuh 5 is her sister. Numbuh 1 had high expectations. The rest probably did too. He realized that in his years of alliance with the KND he was virtually blind to who they were, what they did. He knew almost nothing about them, or what was going on in the world.

_Well, looks like I'll be learning real soon._

By the time he got arrived back at his room, the world outside his window was almost entirely covered by the shadow of night. The room was mostly dark, with only the small area around the bed illuminated by the lamp on his nightstand. He unzipped and removed his hoodie and dropped it on the floor next to his bed. He liked to keep his room cool, a comfortable temperature with long sleeves although chilly without, but it'd feel nice once he settled into bed. He slipped off his jeans and pulled out a pair of plaid PJ pants from the nearest dresser. He put them on, then sprawled out atop his sheets for a minute. He shuttered slightly, remembering that he was getting cold, and crawled under his soft blue blankets. He lay there for another minute before his eyes began to slowly close. Just before slipping out of consciousness, he caught himself, rubbed his eyes, then rolled over and reached out for the lamp, pausing when he saw the Rainbow Monkey sitting next to it. He stared at it for a moment, then continued to turn off the light. He turned back to his position of facing the ceiling, and drifted off into a contented slumber, grinning happily.

* * *

**_A/N:_ Heyy, I did warn you it was sluggish. But, thanks for sticking with it. The first bit o' action and the real plot debut in the next chapter, so stay tuned. Don't forget to review and lemme know what you think! You know, like Eric Cartman Forever did. Thanks for that, by the way. :D**

**- Marty**


	3. The Only Easy Day

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ****_CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** I finish messing around with the characters and move on to the actual story in this chapter. By the time I finished with this one I felt pretty comfortable with it and finally start writing the story versus just playing around with it, so it should definitely flow better from here on out.**

**Now, please enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: THE ONLY EASY DAY...**

* * *

When Trent awoke, he could immediately tell the sun was up. In an attempt to transition into the light without blinding himself, he gradually opened his eyes, using his arm to shield his face from the daylight shining in from his window wall. It took a minute, but before he knew it he was revisiting the sight of the ceiling above his bed. He sat up and looked around, taking a moment to let reality set back in.

_So I'm finally here..._

A knock at the door. Trent hastily threw his covers off his legs and jumped out of bed. The floor was cool, but his socks kept his feet warm. He checked to make sure he was in fact wearing pants, and then turned his head to the Beddy-Bye Rainbow Monkey sitting on his nightstand.

_Might be Numbuh 3 looking for this._

He took it in hand, then staggered over to the door, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Upon reaching the door, he slapped the red button next to it. It slid open, and Trent was now face to face with Kuki, who bored a look of concern. Her expression quickly lifted into one of delight when she spotted the Rainbow Monkey in his hand.

"Oh, there you are!" She exclaimed as she yanked it from his hand, hugging it and looking relieved. Trent put on an empathetic grin, and she looked back to him. "I must've been _really_ tired and left him at the table last night! Didn't even notice till I woke up this morning. I started to worry when I couldn't find him, and then I remembered talking with you, and thought you mighta picked him up. And I was right!"

"Oh, uh, yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his head. "I just didn't wanna leave him sitting there. I was gonna give him back last night, but you were really sleepy and I didn't wanna wake you up, so I figured I'd wait until morning." His words were rushed, nervous that she might think he was trying to take it for himself or something.

"It's okay," She assured him. "Thanks for picking him up and keeping him safe!"

_See? You're being paranoid again. Stop being stupid._

"So, you hungry?"

As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. She giggled.

"Guess that answers that. C'mon, let's get some breakfast!"

"Alright!" He said enthusiastically, then looked down at himself. "Err... lemme get dressed first."

"Okay! I'll wait out here."

"Heh, uh, okay. I'll be quick."

Trent shut the door and ran back over to his bed. He hurriedly threw his arms into the sleeves of his hoodie, zipped it up, exchanged the PJ pants for his jeans, and slipped on his shoes. Satisfied he was ready to go, he spun around and ran back to the door. He skidded to a halt, tugged his jacket down to straighten it out, and casually opened the door. Kuki was still standing there, hands wrapped around her Rainbow Monkey. She really was quite cute.

"Shall we?" Trent offered. She nodded, and the two headed off to the kitchen.

* * *

"Look, all I'm saying is, it's entirely possible that the transmission wasn't lying! Something like that would definitely be worth keeping quiet. And who knows what our scientists are doing!"

"Really, Numbuh 2, you think such a ridiculous tale from some random -"

"Numbuh 5's gotta agree with Numbuh 2 on this one, Numbuh 1. Something just ain't addin' up. Whoever sent it knows somethin'; if not about the Kids Next Door, then something that made them send that transmission. If it is a lie, why tell someone about it? And if it _is_ true-"

"It's NOT true!"

As Trent and Kuki entered the kitchen, the rest of the team was already engaged in an intense conversation. Numbuhs 2 and 5 sat next to each other at the table, with Numbuh 1 sitting directly across from them. The three looked quite frustrated with each other. Numbuh 4 sat at the head of the table, eating his cereal in silence, not appearing partial to either side.

"Morning, everyone!" Kuki greeted loudly, waving as she made her way to the cupboard. The others mumbled a collectively incoherent response as each took an aggravated bite of cereal. Trent put up a small wave with an awkward grin when their glaring eyes shot over to him. He chose to turn and follow Kuki in an attempt to veer their attention back off of him. She grabbed two bowls out of the cupboard and handed him one, which he graciously accepted, and the two sat down between Numbuhs 1 and 4, Trent next to Nigel and Kuki next to Wally.

"So watcha guys talkin' about?" She asked gleefully as she poured cereal in her bowl.

"Remember that transmission yesterday?" Numbuh 2 asked. Numbuh 3 nodded, and Trent stared blankly.

"Basically," Numbuh 1 said upon seeing Trent's ignorance, "There's this _fairy tale_ about something called a 'Nectar Speck', which was supposedly the most mouth-watering, sweetest, delicious candy ever."

"The _legend_," Numbuh 2 continued, shooting an angry look at his leader before looking at Trent, "claims that it's made from the mystical _fourth flavor_!"

"The fourth flavor?" Trent repeated, puzzled. "Isn't that just a legend in itself?"

"Nope. It's real alright. Numbuh 5 has tasted it herself, and, mm-_MM_ is it tast-y-licious!" She licked her lips at the memory as Trent's eyes widened in amazement. Some questions popped up in his mind, but that train of thought was derailed when Numbuh 1 continued.

"The sugar levels in this candy would be like nothing we've ever seen before. If it were real, more than just a single lick of a Nectar Speck would cause any kid to overload on sweetness and crash into a sugar coma."

The story paused to give Trent a moment to imagine it. That sounded like an amazing piece of candy to him... probably worth the aforementioned sugar coma.

"The transmission claimed the Kids Next Door has discovered a Nectar Speck, and is using it to developing some kind of super-candy which would induce a sugar rush the likes of which the world has never seen, granting us powers far beyond that which adults receive from coffee."

"Hmm," Trent hummed thoughtfully, "I can see how someone would think that's a problem."

"Yeah!" Numbuh 2 agreed, "And while I'm not usually one to believe in stuff like that, we've seen weirder things."

"We've also been wrong about more plausible things!" Numbuh 1 retorted through a mouthful of Rainbow Munchies. "There's absolutely no reason to believe any of this is true! There's no real link to the KND, and there's been no reported security leaks! No one could have possibly stolen intel on a top red level 3 secret lab without us knowing!"

"...maybe they didn't steal it, then."

Trent's calm suggestion immediately garnered everyone's attention, and they all watched him in anticipation for the rest of his idea. He looked pensive for a moment before he spoke again.

"Suppose if the message _was_ telling the truth, and KND scientists really _are_ working on some hyperactivity-stimulating candy which would trump even coffee... that sounds really risky. Maybe someone on the inside is against the project enough to expose it. Or maybe it's a rouge project, and the message was sent out in an attempt to bring it to light and force it to be abandoned. Or... I donno... maybe someone just doesn't think anyone should have that kind of capability."

The group was still watching him intently, though they were all considering his idea.

"I suppose that _could_ be possible," Numbuh 1 conceded, "But we still have no evidence that this is anything more than a false lead. For all we know, this is just a stupid prank being played on us by Tommy or something."

"Who?"

"My little brother," Numbuh 2 admitted.

"Oh. Does he does this kinda stuff?"

"He's done worse."

Suddenly, a red light filled the room, flashing in sync with a blaring siren. Everyone looked in a split second of confusion. Then their experience kicked in; they kicked away from the table, jumping to their feet and sprinting to the control room. Trent followed his team up to a massive screen, which displayed static for a moment before the image of Numbuh 60 came into focus. Behind him, they could see numerous KND operatives running around and boarding various ships. The sounds of aircraft powering up and taking off almost drowned out his voice.

_"Sector V, this is Numbuh 60, do you copy?"_ The boy's expression was one of urgency and a noticeable amount of anger. He was practically yelling in an attempt to remain audible over the commotion of his surroundings.

"I copy, Numbuh 60!" Numbuh 1 announced loudly. "What's going on?"

_"Numbuh 362 has been kidnapped!"_ was Numbuh 60's blunt reply. Numbuhs 2, 3 and 5 gasped; everyone's eyes widened.

"WHAT?! How did this happen?"

_"The Supreme Leader was enroute to Moonbase after a school fieldtrip when her ship was ambushed by some unknown forces!"_

"Do you know her current location?"

_"That's affirmative! But there's more to it! When we scrambled interceptors from Moonbase, they came under attack by Teenagers! And now there's a teenage fleet attacking Moonbase as we speak!"_

Numbuh 1 slammed his fist down on the console. "Teenagers... I should've known! Roger that, Numbuh 60, we're on our way to join the fight!"

_"That's a _negative, _Numbuh 1! Our forces in space are taking care of the teenage fleet, and we've got more than enough help on the way! The teenage twits shouldn't be a problem, but it'll take some time before we can divert anyone else to recover Numbuh 362! Your sector is the only one in a position close enough to reach that spacecraft in time! That's why I need your team to cut it off before we lose track of 'em! I'm sending you their current coordinates and trajectory. Don't fail me, Sector V! Numbuh 60 out!"_

Static replaced Numbuh 60 on the screen as he ended the transmission. Without hesitation, Numbuh 1 turned to his team.

"You heard the boy! KIDS NEXT DOOR, BATTLE STATIONS!"

* * *

Before he knew it, Trent was sitting in the back of the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., gazing out the window they sped towards their objective. The team was in their space suits, helmets already donned, ready to deploy at a moment's notice. They were already outside the Earth's atmosphere, though Trent couldn't see anything through the window yet.

While the others seemed used to space flight, Trent kept shifting in his seat. It wasn't that he was nervous about the mission, although he got the feeling he probably should've been, he was just less than comfortable with the idea of being a makeshift astronaut. But, if another kid was in danger, then he'd be whatever he needed to be. Still didn't mean it was preferable, though.

He reached down to his side and checked his weapon for the tenth time. He wasn't worried about it; he was merely using it as a distraction in an attempt to pass the time. The gun was a modified KND B.O.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. assault rifle. This variant, which he referred to as a B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P., was more durable, slightly but significantly more powerful and fired blue lasers instead of the KND's usual red or green. The design was commonly used by Trent and his insurgent followers back home; since they worked alone more often than not and were relatively few in numbers, they felt it was necessary to modify their KND-supplied equipment and optimize it for their circumstances. They always kept that little fact a secret, figuring Numbuh 274 would've used it as an excuse to cut their supplies.

"There it is!" Numbuh 2 yelled out. "Hope everyone's ready to crash another teenage party, 'cause-!"

The rest of his sentence was cut short by the metal tubes dropping from the roof, encasing each operative into individual drop pods. Trent clenched the sides of his seat with the tightest grip he could manage. Seconds later, with a flash and a loud popping sound, he was flying through space. This model of pod didn't feature windows, so he had no idea what he was speeding towards or when he'd hit it. The answer to the latter question was not long at all; his flight couldn't have been more than 10 seconds before he felt the bottom of his pod slam into something solid: the hull of their target.

He quickly grabbed his weapon and jumped off his seat, using his legs to suspend himself above it. A split second later, there was a sharp drilling sound, and the foundation of the pod dropped out. When it came to rest on the floor without setting off any traps or getting shot at, he followed it down, bending his knees upon landing and remaining low as he scanned his surroundings, weapon raised and ready to fire.

He found himself in an intersection between rows of shelves in a dimly lit storeroom. The ceiling wasn't very high, but the walls were far enough apart that he couldn't even tell how big the room was. There was a strange smell, something somewhat familiar, but it was too faint for him to place it.

"Looks like a storage room," came a female voice from Trent's left. He was startled by the sudden noise, but immediately recognized Numbuh 5's voice. She walked up to him, still scanning their surroundings.

"Yeah... but it looks empty."

"Hmm..."

_"Over here!"_

The two looked in the direction of the voice. It sounded like Numbuh 1, but they couldn't see him from their current spot. Trent took point and headed down the nearest row. On the other side, he saw Kuki several rows down. She waved to catch their attention. Trent waved back in acknowledgement, and they approached her. Behind her, the rest of the boys had their guns trained on the door.

"Alright guys," Nigel said quietly, "Here's the plan: myself, Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 81 will find and release Numbuh 362! Numbuh 4 and Numbuh 5, you'll follow Numbuh 2 to the hangar and secure us a safe passage out of here! I don't think they counted on us being here, so we should be in and out before anyone knows what's going on."

Everyone nodded. Hoagie punched the control panel. It opened into the middle of a hallway. Nigel poked his head out, checking that the coast was clear, then took off down the right side, with Trent and Kuki close behind. They rounded multiple turns, stopping only long enough for Nigel to get his sense of bearing straight.

"Um, Numbuh 1? How do you know where to go?"

"Numbuh 2 gave me an estimated location of the holding cells judging from the exterior of the vessel! This spacecraft is pretty small, we're already almost there!"

"Oh. Sooo you don't really know where you're going?"

"We'll see, Numbuh 3."

Trent followed his veteran teammates a few feet behind, paying careful attention that no one was behind them. The calm was convenient at first, but as they slowed for Nigel to examine each individual doorway, his was spooked by the lack of security. He wondered if the others noticed.

"Erm, Numbuh 1?" He spoke up nervously, voice reflecting his suspicion.

"Not now," his leader denied him, "I think I've found it! Get ready!"

Trent took another look around as he fell into place on the opposite side of the door from Nigel. Once in position, he nodded, and the two swiftly charged through the doorway.

"Perfect!" Numbuh 1 exclaimed. In front of them was a large control console at the head of rows of confinement cells on either side, 4 deep. They all had lasers in place of metal bars. The first pair was empty, so the boys rushed down the aisle, checking the rest. In the last cell on the right, Trent spotted a figure curled up in the far corner, facing away from him.

_Must be Rachel!_

He opened his mouth to call out to her, but was beat to the punch by Nigel behind him.

"Numbuh 362! Are you alright?"

Trent looked over his shoulder to see the Supreme Leader in the opposite cell, rubbing her head as she came to face with her rescuers.

"Yeah, I'll... I'll be..."

Her eyes suddenly widened as something occurred to her.

"Wait, no! NO! You have to leave!"

"Not without you, Numbuh 362! Numbuh 3, hurry and get these cells open!"

"Okay!"

_Wait... so if Numbuh 362 is in that one... then..._

Perplexed, Trent turned his head back around, only to find a glaring face inches away from his. He yelled out in surprise and jumped back. He reflexively raised his weapon, but promptly lowered it once he saw the individual was just a boy, albeit an angry-looking one. The pale stranger wore a gray army-style jacket over a black shirt, black jeans and combat boots. He wore a gray watch cap and had jet-black hair drooping down from underneath, almost shoulder length. His colorless appearance combined with his composure gave him a very menacing aura.

"Who're you?" Trent asked, approaching him again. The boy just glared at him.

"That's Numbuh 08," Rachel answered, adding in an irritated tone, "He's... helping with a project."

"Well, we'll have you both out in just a moment! What were you saying, Numbuh 362?"

Her expression returned to one of fright. "Oh, you have to leave me here! Get your team out of here, Numbuh 1!" She looked down the aisle at Kuki, who was tapping away on the buttons on the controls. "Numbuh 3, I order you to cease your efforts and-"

"Belay that order!" Nigel interrupted, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "What are you doing? We won't let you fall into teenage hands like this! We're breaking you outta here!"

She began to panic. Trent and Nigel exchanged baffled glances.

"It's not the teenagers!" She said hysterically, "It is, but… this ship... it's... there's no one here! It's empty! They threw us in here, then left! I don't know where it's supposed to be going, but it's been programmed to self-destruct if anyone tries to-"

"Done!"

All the color drained from Rachel's face at Kuki's exclamation, which was immediately followed by the dissipation of her laser hindrance.

"If anyone tries to... what?"

"JUST RUN!" She cried out, grabbing Nigel by the forearm and sprinting to the exit. Trent glanced back at Numbuh 08, who shot him an indignant look before taking off after the other two.

Suddenly, everything began to shake, and there was a loud rumbling. Trent immediately figured out the rest of Rachel's warning: the self-destruct mechanism must have been merged with the release function. Whoever was responsible for the abduction wanted to make sure there would be no escapes, one way or another.

Trent and Kuki tailed the others from close behind. They made it around the fist corner before the first explosion sent them flying off their feet. As Trent pushed himself back up to his feet, he observed the rapidly deteriorating condition of his surroundings: flames were bellowing out of fissures appearing all over the walls around them, the deck under his feet was beginning to weaken, and the ceiling was already beginning to collapse.

The first three had already disappeared around the next corner. Trent began to run after them when a faint cry reached his ear.

"Numbuh 81..!"

He spun around, and saw Kuki on the ground, her legs pinned under a fallen support beam. He darted over to her, slinging his weapon around his back and taking a moment to examine the situation. She didn't look to be in pain, but it was clear she was immobilized. Unfortunately, the beam would be too heavy for him to lift alone. He began to panic; he didn't have time to grab one of the others to help him. He looked around, and saw a small piece of pipe lying on the deck a few feet away. He grabbed it, and smirked as an idea popped into his head.

"Numbuh 3, get ready to move when I raise this up, okay?"

She nodded, lines of tears down her cheeks, likely from fear rather than pain. Trent jammed the pipe under the beam as far down as he could fit it, then used all his strength to leverage it off the ground enough for Kuki to crawl out from underneath. When she was clear, he let it fall back to the floor and stepped over to her side.

"How bad are you hurt?" He asked, checking her legs for obvious wounds. Nothing looked serious, just scraps and scratches. She'd probably have a bruise or two later.

"I'm... I'm okay." She replied, trying to bring herself to stand. "GAH!"

Trent caught her as she fell back. "Numbuh 3?!"

She gritted her teeth for a moment, more tears streaming from her eyes. Now they were probably from pain.

"I... I don't think I can walk!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you outta here!"

He swept her up in his arms, and took off after the others as fast as he could. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support as he did his best to navigate his way to the exit. He managed to get them back to the first hallway where he saw Numbuh 4 standing by a doorway on the far end.

"Come on!" Wally cried out, "This whole place is about to blow sky high! Er, space high? Sky higher..?" When the two got closer, his expression changed to one of concern. "What happened?!"

"I hurt my legs," She explained, allowing Trent to save his breath for carrying her. "Numbuh 81 got me out!"

The blonde didn't have a response as they passed him, only followed them down another straightaway.

The frequency of the explosions was increasing. Trent held Kuki as close to himself as he could; it was all he could do to protect her from flying debris, which he could feel beating against his back and face as he ran through a gauntlet of deconstruction. The entrance to the hangar seemed forever away, but they reached it safely.

Inside the hangar, Nigel and Abby were standing by the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., eagerly awaiting the arrival of their teammates. When they finally showed up, the two waved them on and shouted to them to hurry. Abby helped Trent board the transport with the injured girl in his arms, then followed him in.

"It's gonna be close!" Hoagie yelled from the pilot seat as the door slammed shut. Trent carefully set Kuki, whose arms lingered around his neck for just the slightest moment longer than necessary, down in her chair. She smiled up at him in appreciation, before the sudden acceleration of the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. sent him stumbling off balance. He managed to stagger back to his chair without totally losing his footing. The view outside the windows was a blur of blinding flashes as they sped out of the hangar. Then there was nothing but open space. They'd cleared out just in time.

* * *

Rachel let out a relieved "Whew!" as she slouched in her chair. Trent lazily turned his head to look over at her. The adrenaline rush had subsided, and he allowed himself to take a few minutes to unwind.

Nigel wiped the sweat from his brow. Hoagie sighed in relief. Kuki had procured some bandages and was wrapping up her left leg just above the knee. Wally dropped his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. next to his chair and looked to his left to meet Abby's gaze. The two proceeded to burst out into laughter. The rest of the operatives smiled and even joined in as the atmosphere in the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. lightened in celebration of their victory.

"Good job, guys," Rachel finally said as they settled down. "And... thank you. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Sector V managed to pull off a rescue in spite of an explosive failsafe."

Abby tipped her hat downward in an old fashioned acknowledgement, but Nigel spun his seat around and leaned in toward Rachel, his composure back to his usual seriousness.

"So, what were you saying, Numbuh 362? About the teenagers?"

Everyone's smiles faded. They had their moment of respite, but the mission wasn't over; their current affairs demanded their attention. Now, it was time to take care of business.

"Right," Rachel said as she straightened herself up in her chair. "The teenagers. It's not them. Or, it's not their plan. I donno exactly. They aren't working alone."

"You aren't making sense," Nigel chided calmly, "What do you mean? Who else is involved in this?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know. They only mentioned their 'benefactor' when they threw us in those cells. They're working for someone, Numbuh 1."

Nigel processed this news for a moment. "Do you know what they wanted you or Numbuh 08 for?"

Trent glanced to the back of the bus at the mention of Numbuh 08, having forgotten he was there. He was sitting in the corner, arms crossed, eyes closed, either asleep or just ignoring his cohorts.

"No idea," Rachel admitted. "I was the target, though. I was having a... private conversation with Numbuh 08, when they hit. I guess they didn't expect anyone to be with me. They intended to destroy my transport, so they took him as a hostage too."

"Numbuh 60 said you were returning from a fieldtrip," Nigel said flatly. It was as much a question as it was a statement.

She shook her head. "No, I was at one of our secret research facilities, inspecting the progress on one of our research projects. That's why _he's_ with me." There was a definite sharpness in her voice when she referred to the boy. "We were on our way up to Moonbase to grab some testing materials."

"You mentioned earlier he was helping with a project. What-"

"It's classified," She said quickly, intercepting his inquiry. "No one knows about it. Regardless, it's nothing that the teens or anyone would be interested in."

Trent could've sworn he heard a scoff from Numbuh 08, but the boy still didn't move or open his eyes. No one else noticed, so he shrugged it off.

_Must've coughed or something._

Nigel looked suspicious of his leader's words for a moment, but chose to trust them. "Still, the question remains: why did they come after you?"

"Again, I don't know."

"Maybe it was to try and mix us up," Hoagie suggested from the front. "You know, get us all disorganized while they take advantage and attack Moonbase!"

"Kick us while we're down," Wally rephrased, clinching his fists at the idea. "Takin' all the cruddy cheap shots they can!"

"I don't think so," Rachel said, cocking an eyebrow as she watched Wally throw punches at the air, fantasizing about revenge. "This wasn't random, they had an ulterior motive. I believe the fleet attacking Moonbase was just a distraction to try and draw everyone's attention. Why else would they _keep _our guys from leaving Moonbase, and still throw their fleet against our defenses when they know it's not enough to break through?"

"Maybe they didn't, and we just kicked their sorry butts in a fight 'cause they can't handle the KND!"

"While I admire you faith in our forces, Numbuh 4, I just don't think that's the case, nor do I think that was all they had. Sector V's interference disrupted their plan this time, but whoever is after me won't quit after just one attempt. Someone is giving orders, they're just following them."

The compartment fell silent as everyone considered the facts, trying to form a rational explanation.

"I just received word from Moonbase," Hoagie announced to his passengers, "The teenage fleet was successfully repelled and are in full retreat. They report no structural damage and no serious casualties."

"That's good news," Nigel said, rotating his seat back to its forward-facing position. "We'll get this mess figured out once we're back on friendly turf."

* * *

Back at Moonbase, the door to the bridge flew open, and Rachel stepped out, waving off her medical staff.

"I told you, I'm fine! Go away!"

The head nurse huffed in frustration, but finally respected her leader's instruction, and motioned for the other two to do the same, and they moved on to their next patients. There were several operatives in the area with various injuries, from bruised knees to bumps on their heads to cuts on their arms, but as Hoagie reported earlier, nothing major.

The Supreme Leader was flanked by Nigel and Trent on her right, and Hoagie and Abby on her left (Kuki was sent to the medical ward, and Wally accompanied her). They marched across the bridge to the master command console, where a red-haired girl was frowning at a band-aid on the back of her hand. She looked up when they were almost upon her, and her face hardened into that of a seasoned soldier. She tucked her hair behind her ears, and then donned her helmet, which displayed the number 86 in the center.

"Miss Supreme Leader, sir, ma'am!" She announced with a salute. "It's a relief to see you back safe!"

"At ease, Numbuh 86. You okay?"

"Just a scratch," Fanny said dully, "Didn't even notice it till the medics patched it up."

Rachel nodded, smiling at her lieutenant's hardiness. She stepped away from the group, looking thoughtfully at the Earth outside the glass dome.

"What's your report on the attack, Numbuh 86?" She asked without turning around.

"Ma'am! Just before your transport was attacked, our sensors picked up a large number of unknown contacts coming in from the far side of the Earth! We tried to warn you, but couldn't reach you in time! We scrambled a team to retrieve you, but before we knew it we had teenage ships everywhere! We had to recall all our ships, as well as bring in reinforcements from KND Arctic Base and all available Sectors! It was a close fight at first, but with the arrival of additional support, their defeat was only a matter of time! As for your recovery, Numbuh 60 reported he already had a team on it."

Her report was very audible and very practiced. Rachel continued to face the planet as they waited patiently for her appraisal of the situation. Fanny's eyes remained locked onto her leader, and while that was perfectly normal for a professional veteran like she seemed to be, Trent couldn't shake the feeling she didn't want to acknowledge their company.

"Is Numbuh 60 still here?"

"No ma'am, he and the other ships from Arctic Base pursued the enemy fleet in an attempt to trace their origins! He reports the cowards split up and managed to evade them. They're searching in the vicinity of the last sightings before they return to base."

"Very well," Rachel said, turning and rejoining the group. "We have reason to believe the attack fleet was just a decoy. I'll fill you in in a moment."

She faced the Sector V operatives. "Thank you again for your bravery today, team. You have my gratitude. Please pass that along to Numbuhs 3 and 4."

Nigel nodded. "Will do, Numbuh 362. What are your orders for us now?"

"Your orders are to return to your treehouse and enjoy some down time," She said with a smile. "It'll likely take some time before we know our next move. This may be something big, and if so, I'll most certainly need to call you up. So relax while you can. I'll be in touch."

The group saluted in near-unison, then turned to leave the bridge.

"Numbuh 5 can dig those orders," Abby said with a smirk. "We gonna go ahead and head back now?"

"Not yet," Nigel replied, "I've got some business to take care of before we leave, plus we need to wait until Numbuh 3 is dismissed from the medical wing anyway."

"Well, I'm gonna go on back to the 'B.U.S. After pulling us outta the flames like that, I wanna make sure those scratches in the paint are the worst damage she got before we take off again."

"Numbuh 5's gonna go with him."

Trent considered going them back to the hangar, but he wanted to check on Kuki.

"I'm gonna go check on Numbuh 3."

"Alright then. See you all back at the ship."

* * *

The route to the medical wing of Moonbase was indicated by several signs, making it easy to find. Trent managed to locate it without getting lost.

The area was bustling with activity, with medical personnel roving around in Scrubs, kids waiting for assistance, as well as a number of operatives receiving on-the-spot treatment for minor wounds incurred in the recent space battle. There was a reception desk, but the line looked like it'd take forever wait through, so Trent decided he'd sooner find his friends on his own. He wandered down the hallway, looking through the windows of the rooms as he passed. Some had the blinds drawn, but he figured those weren't the right rooms; her injuries seemed very minor, and that degree of privacy was usually only practiced for the more severe cases.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

Trent immediately recognized Kuki's voice (or screech, rather), though this was the first time he'd heard it with such an aggravated tone. He wasn't surprised when he heard the Aussie-accented response.

"What? What'd I say?!"

He traced the sounds of their dispute to a room on the right. Inside, Kuki and Wally were facing off, both looking quite annoyed with each other. She was holding her shoes in her left hand while bearing a fist with her right.

"I coulda _died_ in a fiery explosion in the dark void of space and you're yelling at me for getting hurt? What's the matter with you?!"

"I'm just sayin', you should be more careful on these missions!" Wally retorted, taking a step back. His fists were also clenched, though they all knew he'd never throw a punch at her.

"UGH!" She huffed in frustration. "You are such a jerk, Wally!"

"And you're a stinkin' moron! You-"

Before he could continue, she smacked him square in the forehead with one of her shoes. He stumbled back, bringing his hands up in an attempt to shield himself from further assault.

"OW! WHAT-"

She began to arch her arm back, prompting him to turn and run away. Trent stepped out of the way as Wally made for the exit, though not in time to dodge the shoe soaring through the air at him. It nailed him in the back of his cranium, sending him skidding to the ground. Trent caught the shoe as it ricocheted off the blonde's head. Wally got to his feet and walked off, grumbling under his breath the whole way.

Trent poked his head into the room. Kuki was now sitting on the edge of the bed, staring crossly at her feet, still holding on to her remaining shoe. He was almost afraid to say anything, but she seemed like she needed something, or someone, to cheer her up. He stepped out from around the doorway.

"Um... Numbuh 3? Kuki?"

She looked up to see who was addressing her, returned her gaze to the floor, closed her eyes for a moment, and looked back up again, this time with her usual cheery disposition.

"Hi Trent," She greeted with a smile, though he could still hear hints of discontentment in her voice.

"You alright?" He asked, cautiously approaching her. He extended her other shoe out to her, bearing an empathetic look of concern on his face.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh, accepting his offering and slipping her shoes back on her feet. "Wally's just being a meany again. It's no big deal."

"Is he mean to you a lot?" He asked, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"Sometimes. He doesn't mean to be, it's just how he is."

She looked over at him, and purged her smile of all traces of annoyance.

"Really, it's no biggie. He's a good guy. He'll apologize later. Well, probably not. He just needs to learn to be nice. It'll come in time."

Trent returned her smile, impressed by her optimism.

"So, how's your leg?" He asked, both out of concern and because he noticed her provisional bandage had been replaced with a clean, proper wrapping.

"Oh, I'm fine now! Just got a big scrape, but that'll heal in no time!" She lowered her voice slightly and looked a little embarrassed. "I just lost circulation on the station when that beam pinned me to the ground, but I guess I was panicking too much to realize it."

It took Trent a second to pick up on her embarrassment. He placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Hey, no, it's okay, it was a scary moment. It's perfectly understandable. You've got nothing to worry about."

She beamed at his encouragement. "Thanks Trent. Now, hold still!"

"Um, what?

She leapt off the bed and stepped over to the bedside table, grabbing a cotton ball out of a jar on it and turning back to him.

"You need to get that cleaned up before it gets infected!" She informed him. Confused, he checked himself for wounds. There were none on his body, so he brought his hand to his face. He found a wet spot in front of his right ear, behind his eye, and pulled his hand back to find his fingers coated in red. He wasn't worried; if he was just now noticing it, it obviously wasn't serious. Still, it stung when Kuki sterilized it with the disinfectant-soaked cotton ball. He grimaced a bit, but stayed composed. She used a few cotton balls to clean the area before applying a large band-aid.

"All done!" She declared, grabbing his hand and tugging on it, encouraging him back to his feet. He grinned as he slid off the bed, expecting her to say something else. She didn't, though. Instead, he found himself standing face to face with her, her hand still entwined with his. His grin faded as he lost himself in her eyes, as she stared into his. He was unsure of what to think, other than of how pretty her eyes were.

Trent snapped back to reality first, quickly looking around the room and clearing his throat. He could feel his face reddening.

_That was weird... how long were we standing there?_

She broke her focus right after him, blushing and looking around and clearing her throat in a similar fashion. They both realized they were still holding the others hand, and hastily withdrew, laughing nervously.

"Well," Trent said, desperate to end the awkwardness, "I guess we should get back to the ship. Numbuh 362 ordered us to take it easy at the treehouse while we wait for further orders."

"Heh, okay."

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., Hoagie was finishing up his inspection of underside. Abby was leaning against the side, talking to him as he worked. She smiled at Trent and Kuki as they approached.

"Glad to see you up and walkin', Numbuh 3," Abby said, "You had Numbuh 5 a little concerned earlier."

"Thanks, Numbuh 5! So when are we leaving?"

"Right now!" answered Hoagie as he emerged from underneath the transport. "Everyone else is already inside, so if you'll kindly take your seats, we'll be on our way. Please note the captain has lit the 'Fasten Seatbelts ' sign during takeoff."

Abby shook her head as she stepped onboard. Moments later, they were homeward bound at full speed.

* * *

"I donno about you guys," Wally said as he spun his chair around to face the others, "But I think I'll start off my time off with a big bowl of ice cream and glue my face the TV! I do believe the big wrestling match is going down in an hour!"

"Sounds good to me!" Hoagie agreed, turning in his seat to face his enthused friend. "The Mighty Masher is gonna pulverize the Titanic Thrasher!"

"What?!" Wally cried incredulously, throwing his arms in the air. "No way! The Thrasher's unbeatable!"

"We'll see about that," the pilot goaded. He looked over to Abby, who had taken the seat directly behind him. "Care to join me? I'll even get your ice cream for you."

"Heh, it's a date," she teased. He whirled back around in his chair to hide the smash blush appearing on his face, much to Wally's amusement.

"I think I'll work on recalibrating the defense system," Nigel thought aloud. "There's a slight but noticeable lag in communications between the central console and the outer-"

"Man, you need to _relax_," Abby interrupted loudly, rolling her eyes. "Abby's gonna be enjoying this R&R time to that max! And she recommends you do the same!"

"But-"

"No buts! Numbuh 362 _ordered_ us to relax and take it easy. So loosen up, Numbuh 1, _that's_ your current mission!"

Nigel slumped in his chair, knowing there was no arguing with her on this.

"Well, _I'm_ gonna spend some quality time with my new Vakarian Rainbow Monkey!"

"That thing's weird, girl."

"Maybe a little, but he's still adorable!"

* * *

**_A/N: _****I know, that wasn't much of an action sequence. But it got the story on track, right? Anywho, I'm gonna stop commentating on things now. Don't forget to review. Have a good day, everyone.**

**- Marty**


	4. Is Actually Today

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

_**A/N: **__**Eric Cartman Forever**_** is pretty awesome. That is all.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: ...IS ACTUALLY TODAY**

* * *

Two days had passed since Numbuh 362 ordered Sector V to take some mandatory leisure time at their treehouse while they stood by for further orders. No one had any complaints; anyone would agree that they deserved it. Each operative had spent the last couple of days with their feet up the only way they knew how: with copious amounts of sleep and lots of sweets. Sometimes there were benefits to being the go-to team.

Trent wiped his forehead with his sleeve as he admired his work. He was standing in the middle of room, which he'd just finished furnishing to his liking: the floor was now covered by navy blue carpet (matching his hoodie), he had a 30-inch TV mounted on the wall opposite his window wall, with a couple green chairs on either side of a sofa facing it; there were meter-tall leafy plants in all four corners of the room, and bookshelves lining the wall on either side of the door. He'd moved his dressers to the same wall as his bed. Since he was only using one of the dressers, he converted the other one into a small armory, with each drawer containing various firearms or weapon parts. Next to it, a table and chair made up his workbench. He preferred to work in his own environment anyway, plus you never know when you might need a gun (which was why he also slept with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. under his pillow). Hey, he wasn't paranoid, he was prepared.

_A job well done, if I do say so myself. I think I'll go celebrate with a soda._

* * *

On his way to the kitchen, Trent found Hoagie and Wally playing video games in the TV room. Judging from the shouts, Hoagie was winning. Intrigued, he walked up to the couch next to Hoagie, who bore a determined smile. Wally, on the other hand, looked positively irate, standing on his cushion as he mashed away on his controller.

"Hey Trent," Hoagie said without breaking his concentration on the TV. "You finished with your room yet?"

"Yeah, finally. Watcha guys playin'?"

"Modern Warfield: Opposing Force. Wanna jump in after this round?"

"Sure! I'm gonna grab a soda. You guys want anything?"

"Yeah, I'll take one!"

"Sure, I'll- DESTROY YOUR STUPID CRUDDY...!"

Trent continued into the kitchen, chuckling at Wally's rage. He opened the fridge and hesitated in reaching for a can of soda, instead opting to grab a six-pack. The day was still young, and he got the feeling they could be there a while.

He stepped back into the room just in time to see Wally throw himself down in his seat, grumbling to himself.

"Aw, c'mon, Wally," Hoagie said jokingly, "You woulda had me if my airstrike hadn't hit when it did."

"I know! And you can bet that won't happen again!" He dismounted the couch as Trent drew nearer. "I'll grab your controller, mate."

Trent climbed up onto the couch on the far side of Hoagie. He handed Wally his drink as he returned to his seat, then tossed a can to Hoagie over the blonde's head, and finally grabbed one for himself. They popped their cans open, raised them toward each other in a silent toast, and each took a large gulp.

"Right," Wally said, an ominous grin appearing on his face, "You two ready to get your butts handed to ya?"

The other boys returned the sinister smile.

"Oh, I'm ready," Hoagie challenged, "but it's not _my_ butt that's gonna get kicked around!"

* * *

The trio played for hours, only taking breaks between rounds. Soda cans, candy wrappers, and empty chip bags littered the couch and its surroundings. By this point, all of the boys' faces were sore from laughing, though Wally was particularly pink from his venting. They had no idea how long they'd been playing for, nor did they particularly care.

"Dude!" Trent cried, wiping a tear from his eye, "Hoagie! What was that? You came outta nowhere! That was _awesome_!"

"Why thank you," Hoagie replied in a suave manner, "It shouldn't surprise you what I can do. After all, I _am_ the best."

"Really now?" Trent said doubtfully, adding on in a similarly-suave voice, "So you getting your butt kicked all those other games was just for show?"

"It gets lonely at the top; I like to give the less-fortunate a chance to know what it feels like being awesome."

"Oh, how gracious of you."

They chuckled, waiting on Wally to set up the settings for the next match.

"Come on," Hoagie moaned impatiently, "You take _forever_ to set up this game!"

"Hey!" Wally shouted defensively. "It takes a minute to get everything just right, okay? I'll have it ready before you can count to Q!"

"Only you can count to Q, Wally."

Trent downed the last of his soda, still smirking as he listened to his companions bicker. He crushed the empty can in his hand and tossed it to the small pile accumulating on the ground in front of them. He wasn't sure how much of the heap was his doing, but most of the empty bags of chips were definitely from him. There was a strange sense of pride in the amount of junk food they'd consumed.

As he surveyed the massacred remains of snacks surrounding the couch, he caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye. He poked his head over the arm just in time to see Kuki heading down the hallway to his and Abby's rooms. His curiosity was piqued by the off chance she was on the way to see him.

"Er, I think I'm done for the, uh..." He looked at the clock. It was 7:54.

_Wow, we really played for that long?_

"...for the night. See ya tomorrow, guys."

The boys said their goodnights as Trent headed off after Kuki. He didn't see her in the hallway and she wasn't at his door.

_Of course she went the visit Numbuh 5,_ he thought incredulously, _Why would she be coming to visit me? Especially this late?_

Still, he felt a little disappointed. He let out a small sigh as he reached his door, taking one last hopeful glance down the hallway before entering. Since he wasn't expecting to spend his afternoon (and evening) playing video games, he'd left his lights on, which proved convenient since the earlier daylight was now replaced by the darkness of night. He unzipped his hoodie as he trekked across the floor towards his bed, looking over at his TV, which he'd also-

Wait. He didn't leave the TV on.

Right as his mind registered the inconsistency, the screen cut off, and none other than Kuki walked out from around the couch.

"Heh, sorry," she said shyly, clasping her hands behind her back. "Just wanted to see if it worked."

"Nah, it's okay," Trent replied, so quickly that he almost cut her off. "Um... what are you doing in here, though?"

She didn't say answer him immediately, instead walking up and standing right in front of him.

"I... I just wanted to thank you again. For saving me on that ship."

"Kuki... we've already been through that… is that really what's on your mind?"

His voice hinted at his disbelief, and his heart pounded away as he gathered the nerve to cut straight to the point. As soon as the words left his mouth, his head was flooded was mixed emotions.

_Aw man, what are you doing? You can't assume she's here because of her "feelings"! She probably doesn't feel anything anyway! And now you've jumped straight to that point! It's okay, you didn't say anything about feelings. She'll say it on her own. Unless she's nervous too... If she is... GAH!_

He managed to keep a straight face as she seemed to search for her words.

"Alright... ummm... can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course! I'd have freaked out about you being in my room if not." He smirked at his own poor attempt at a joke.

_Why'd you add that last part? You call that a joke?! Stupid! Stupid...!_

Kuki let out an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, I guess that's true..."

_You're lucky she's nice enough to laugh at your stupid jokes, Trent._

"Um... did you watch the wrestling match the other day?"

"No. Did you?"

"No..."

Silence. She was avoiding his eyes. He watched hers, trying to figure out what this was about without lettings his hopes bias his judgment.

"It's... it's Numbuh 4," She finally admitted. "Wally."

_Ah. Must be about their argument I walked in on the other day._

"Okay. Uh, would you like to sit down?" He offered, motioning to the couch. She nodded, withholding her words until they were both seated. Trent hopped up in the middle, and was a little surprised when she sat on the same cushion right next to him. He placed his hands in his lap to avoid potentially accidentally touching hers. The silence lingered for a moment; he wasn't sure if she was waiting for him to ask her to resume or what.

"So, I guess you heard our argument the other day. On Moonbase." She spoke softly, as if someone was sleeping in the bed and she was trying not to disturb them. It didn't really sound like a question, so Trent didn't answer. After a moment, she continued.

"It's been like this since we met. Either he's mean, or he starts to be nice, but ends up being mean. Even if I try to do something nice for him, he's always just calls me names or something."

Trent kept waiting for a question to pop up, but it wasn't happening. So, he decided to go out on a limb.

"Kuki, stop," he said calmly. She obeyed his request, and they stared at each other for a moment before he remembered he was saying something. "You know as well as- well, better than I do how he is. He isn't trying to make you feel bad, he's just... he's just... he means well. You know that."

She nodded in agreement. "I know, but... why is he still mean?"

"Well... he's... kind of an angry guy. And easily annoyed. And inconsiderate. And dense. When he doesn't know how to respond to something, he gets defensive. And when someone's defensive, they aren't usually thinking about what they say. It's not that he wants to hurt you, like I said, it's just... he doesn't think about it. That's my impression, anyway."

She listened attentively, though Trent questioned if he'd just told her anything she didn't know. After all, he was the new guy; everything he'd recently learned was probably common knowledge to the rest of them. But, he still tried.

"So..." She spoke slowly, still pondering his words, "What can I do to make him stop being a jerk? Or help him stop? Or... something? I don't like it, I don't want him to be mean to mean to me anymore! It makes it impossible to tell him anything!"

She seemed quite distraught about this. But if it had been like this since they first met, Trent could understand her weariness of his attitude. Thought she did seem to have more problems with it than the others.

"There's not much you can do," He replied, unable to think of a softer way of breaking the news to her. "He'll realize how hurtful he's being one day."

She dropped her gaze to her feet, disappointed at this answer. Trent sure didn't feel any better about delivering it.

To heck with it, time to go out on another limb.

"Look," He said in a warm, confident voice as he placed his hand on hers, "He'll get there. And when he does, he'll realize what an awesome friend you are."

She looked down at his hand on hers, then up into his eyes as a smile finally appeared on her face. "Really?"

"I swear it."

She looked like a burden was lifted with his promise. Trent was just relieved he'd managed to say the right thing. But he believed everything he told her.

The silence returned, but it was a comfortable one now. She was deep in thought, and he was just enjoying her company. She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder and he heard a faint sigh. They sat there like that for a few minutes before she straightened back up.

"Thanks, Trent. I feel a lot better now."

He nodded with a friendly smile. "It's what I'm here for."

She giggled, and lowered herself off the couch. He followed, and once again they stood without a word.

"Well, it's getting late... and I'm getting sleepy. So..."

"Yeah. Me too."

They strode over to the door. She stepped out, and then turned around to face him standing in the doorway. He was about to wish her goodnight when she leapt forward and embraced him in a hug. He was frozen for a moment, but quickly thawed and hugged her back.

She stepped away, blushed slightly, and walked away. Trent decided to watch her until she left his sight, leaning on the doorframe. As she reached the far doorway, Abby stepped into view. The two girls greeted as they passed each other. Abby turned and watched Kuki continue on for a moment, then turned and gave Trent a curious look. He returned it, unsure of her reason. Abby walked down to her door, but stood outside of it, still exchanging looks with Trent.

"What?" He asked, a little crossly. She just shook her head, then turned and disappeared into her room.

_What was _that_ all about?_

* * *

**_A/N: _I know, short chapter. I wanted to try and go back and better develop Trent character & relationships, but decided that I didn't wanna stray away from the main story too much. If you don't have a decent idea of what kinda guy Trent is, you'll learn as you go along. lol  
**

**Don't forget to review. ;)  
**

**- Marty  
**


	5. Back In The Action

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

**Trust me, it'd still be on the air if I did.**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Thanks for the views everyone. It means a lot.**

** Eric Cartman forever – Thank you very much. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. **

** natalie1668 – I'm glad you made an exception. lol Thanks for the review.**

**I don't really have anything else to say, so let's continue, shall we?**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: BACK IN THE ACTION**

* * *

Another couple of uneventful days passed for Sector V.

Trent was sitting at his workbench in his room. There were parts strewn about all over the table, save for a small area directly in front of him where he was reassembling a M.U.S.K.E.T. sidearm. He hadn't really talked to either of the girls since the other night, and he still wondered why Abby shook her head at him like that. Was there something about Kuki he needed to know?

He'd just finished tightening in the last screw on the wooden grip when there was a knock at his door. He hopped off the bench and made his way to the door, concealing the weapon inside his hoodie. The door hissed open, and Abby was standing there.

"Hey, Numbuh 81," she said. Her voice was friendly as normal but her face was serious.

"Hey."

"We just got a call from Moonbase. Numbuh 1 wants you in the control room."

Trent nodded, and the two headed down the hallway.

"So, Numbuh 5..."

"Yeah?"

"What was that the other night?"

"What was what?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

They stopped in front of her room, and she turned to face him.

"Do you like Numbuh 3?"

"What?"

She shook her head again. "That's what Numbuh 5 was afraid of..."

"Why?" He wondered aloud, ignoring the fact she just saw straight through him. She thought for a moment before answering him.

"Numbuh 3 is... a popular girl. Boys like her all the time."

"I believe it. But I don't see your point."

"It's..." She trailed off. She obviously knew something important, but it was impossible to figure out what kind of information that could be.

"Is there something I should know about her?"

Abby remained silent, her head tilted downward just enough so her hat covered her eyes.

"Look," she said up after a moment, "Just be careful, Numbuh 81. Numbuh 5 doesn't wanna see you get caught up in anything." She looked like she wanted to say more, but instead just turned and walked into her room, muttering to herself, "She's a big girl, she'll do what she wants..."

Trent stared at her closed door for a few seconds.

_Yeah, there's definitely something here I don't know..._

* * *

"Ah, Numbuh 81, there you are."

Nigel was standing in front of his command console. On the giant screen facing him was Rachel.

_"Numbuh 81,"_ Rachel said with a slight smile, _"Have you enjoyed your time off?"_

"I have," He replied, taking position next to Nigel.

_"Glad to hear it,"_ she said sincerely, though her smile quickly became just for show. _"As I was just telling Numbuh 1 here, we just received a message from an anonymous informant claiming to have information on the teenagers who captured me; specifically, who they were working for."_

"Sounds good. What's the catch?"

_"He refuses to say anything else in a message, says it can't be trusted. Our only choice is to send someone to meet him in person. He sent us coordinates for a meeting place."_

"I don't trust it," Nigel chimed in. "He insists he isn't with the guilty party, and that he only wants to help us."

_"And while I understand your distrust, Numbuh 1, this may be our only chance to find out who has it out for me. We haven't been able to find any trace of the teenage ships that attacked Moonbase. They had their retreat completely planned out, which just supports my suspicion that they were only a distraction."_

"Well then," Trent mused, "I guess we'll just have to take that chance. So what's the plan? I go in and hope he's for real?"

_"Yes, but you're not going alone. Since we know nothing about this informant, just meeting with him is risky, even if it's not a trap."_

"We're all going to be at the rendezvous point," Nigel explained, "My plan is to talk with this informant myself and find out what he knows. Numbuh 2 will be standing by in the transport for evac should things go south, and the rest of you will provide direct overwatch of our little chit chat."

Trent nodded, and Rachel spoke. _"Sounds good, Numbuh 1. Numbuh 81, while Numbuh 1 is your current commanding officer, you're a commando; missions like this are the main reason you're there. If things do indeed take a turn for the worst, you do what you deem necessary to control the situation and make sure Sector V gets out in one piece. Once you return from this mission, I expect a report from you."_

"Yes ma'am, Numbuh 362!"

_"Your rendezvous is before sunrise tomorrow morning. Best of luck, guys. Numbuh 362, out."_

* * *

An hour had passed, but there was still half an hour to go until the informant's time of arrival. The kids were getting bored, but stayed in place.

The coordinates for the meeting led the team to a farm, miles away from the nearest town. There was a lot of open space between the farmhouse and the fields of crops, but everything surrounding the property was covered by forest. A good place to make sure no one would find them unless they knew they were there, but that was as much a pro as it was a con in this case.

The two boys were perched atop one of the three grain silos, while Abby and Kuki watched from the shadows of the top level of the barn opposite them. The four had arrived and assumed their positions extra early to ensure security in the vicinity, as well as to avoid risking the informant seeing them and calling it off.

Trent fiddled with his binoculars as he waited for the time to come. He glanced over at Wally, who had passed out from boredom. He decided he'd wait until Nigel at least arrived before he'd bother waking the blonde boy, since he'd just fall back asleep anyway.

He heard the sound of jet engines approaching, and saw a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. approaching low over the tree line.

_Finally!_

He nudged Wally.

Nothing.

He nudged him again.

Nothing.

Getting annoyed, he punched him in the arm.

"OI!" Wally yelled, sitting up and glaring at him.

Trent brought his finger up to his lips. "_SHH!_"

Wally grumbled as he picked up his B.O.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. and couched down next to Trent. They watched as the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. touched down in the clearing between the barn and the silos, which was illuminated by the moonlight. Nigel stepped out, and the aircraft promptly lifted off and disappeared into the distance. The bald operative examined his surroundings, but made sure not to give any special attention to the barn or the silos; it would've been an unnecessary giveaway. Trent grinned in silent approval of the boy's acuity.

There was a sigh. Trent looked over at Wally, who had a glum frown on his face.

"Numbuh 4? What's on your mind?"

"Huh? Uh, nothin'..."

"Does it have to do with your fight with Numbuh 3 the other day?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Just keep your voice down!"

Wally sighed again. "It's just... she told me what happened on that spaceship, and I-"

"Yelled at her to be more careful," Trent bluntly interrupted, assuming he knew everything that was going on. "I heard that part."

"...Yeah," Wally said, annoyed at his tone, "I didn't mean to. It's just... I donno."

"You don't want her to get hurt. I get that."

"She can be so stupid!"

"She can be a little airheaded, I'll give you that."

"She messes everything up! She can't do anything right! It's like she-"

Trent was starting to get irritated with his condescension, so he interrupted again, this time with sarcasm. "You know, I think I can figure out why she got mad at you."

"Hey!" Wally started heatedly, but quickly simmered down, "She's led a mission before, and it was a disaster! She can't even pick a burger joint for lunch without almost getting eaten alive by a family of sharks! I... I know I shouldn't raise my voice at her. All it ever does is make her cry. And... I hate to see her cry. I just... I just worry about her safety on these missions. I can't help it."

"She's not incompetent, Numbuh 4. She's a fully trained operative, just like us. Do you just not like her or something?"

Wally quickly turned away. "_NO!_ I mean, yes! I mean, uh, not like that, I... I mean- look!"

Trent looked down below and saw movement in the shadows next to the farmhouse. He raised his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. and trained his sights on the silhouette as it stepped out into the moonlight. The figure was huge, at least 7 or 8 feet tall. It wore large black robe and hood which completely covered the person beneath. It walked with a noticeable limp as it approached Nigel.

The informant stopped about 15 feet away from Nigel, most likely to preserve his secrecy. Trent could see Nigel's lips move, but the informant didn't seem to be saying anything.

"This feels wrong," Wally whispered. Trent nodded in agreement.

After a minute of receiving no response, Nigel became visibly annoyed. He raised a hand and pointed at the informant. The figure raised his hood slightly, and Nigel jumped back in surprise. None of the onlookers could see what was revealed to Nigel, but it couldn't be anything good.

"We gotta get down there!" Wally decided aloud. But before either of them could do anything, the ground began to shake. The two boys looked at each other, then to the edge of the woods behind the farmhouse, where they could hear the sound of trees snapping growing louder and louder. Something was headed their way. Something _big_.

A laugh emanated from the clearing below. A scratchy, hardy laugh. Nigel crouched down into a fighting stance as the informant ripped off his cloak.

"What the crud-? Aw, not these guys!"

Trent recognized the hefty man from his training: Captain Sticky Beard. Which meant...

A loud crash boomed through the air as an enormous pirate ship cleared the tree line. It crashed through the farmhouse and cut Sticky Beard & Nigel from the boys' line of sight. When it cleared, both were gone.

_Crap! They must've been pulled aboard!_

The massive ship turned, its new course bringing it to pass right next to the silos. Immediately Trent knew he'd have to take advantage of this impending window of opportunity and make sure Nigel got out of there alive. He had no idea how he would manage that, but he figured the details could be worked out along the way.

"Numbuh 4," He said, slinging his rifle around his back, "I'm going after Numbuh 1! You with me?"

Wally redirected his glare from the pirate ship to Trent, and a smile splashed across his face.

"You know it. What say we show these candy-coated crooks how we feel about their pathetic attempts to kidnap our mates?"

Trent grinned, and the two readied themselves to jump aboard the land-bound vessel. Trent's heart was racing as their target neared. He judged that it would come close enough for them to be able to grab onto the yardarm, but it was still dicey. He bent his knees in anticipation, and when the moment came, jumped as high as he could.

He'd overestimated the height and caught the wooden beam square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, but managed to hang on. He pulled himself up and took a few seconds to catch his breath, rubbing his chest. It was a little sore, but that'd pass soon enough.

Wally surveyed the main deck below in search of his leader. He was about to say something when Nigel came running out from the inside of the ship. He had a candy cane cutlass in each hand and was putting up a valiant fight, but it wouldn't be long before he was overwhelmed.

_Don't worry, Numbuh 1, you're not in this one alone!_

Trent and Wally glanced over at each other, shared a determined grin, and leapt off the mast, using the massive sail as a slide as the fastest way down. As they reached the deck, Wally flew through the air toward the nearest pirate, roaring with a ferocious battle-cry. Trent rolled to preserve his momentum, and nailed another pirate right in the chest with a swift kick. The strength of the boys' attacks combined with their velocity sent their unfortunate victims soaring through the air, colliding with their comrades encircling Nigel and sending them tumbling down like bowling pins.

Nigel twisted around in surprise, then replicated their confident expressions with his own. He stepped over to his teammates, brandishing his minty swords as a challenge to whoever wanted to volunteer to be his next victim. Wally growled angrily as he aimed his firearm at the nearest hostile with his right hand and curled his left into a fist. Trent considered unsheathing his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. but instead reached into his hoodie and withdrew two M.U.S.K.E.T.'s, one in each hand. The two factions glared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. Wally quickly grew tired of this, and reared back, ready to fling himself at the nearest aggressor.

"WAAAIT!"

Everyone looked over at the doorway leading down into the decks below. There stood Sticky Beard, hands raised in the air.

"Stand down, men! We di'n't ask 'em here to fight!"

"We didn't come to get kidnapped either, you sugary-"

"I know, Numbuh 1. And I understand yar anger, but there's no need for insults. My apologies for the trickery, but I can't be takin' any chances here."

At his command, the crew sheathed their swords and backed away. The boys all maintained their defensive stances, not convinced this wasn't a trick. The men between the trio and Sticky Beard stepped out of the way as he approached them, using his confidence as assurance that they wouldn't fire on him. Nigel lowered his weapon, risking trusting the sticky skipper. Trent and Wally followed their leader's example, but continued to survey the surrounding men.

"I spoke the truth in my message to yah. I know who be behind the attempt to take yar leader prisoner."

Nigel crossed his arms. "I'm listening..."

Sticky Beard glanced around, then beckoned to them to follow. The operatives glanced between each other and shrugged. They were already there, they may as well hear him out.

They followed him into a well lit room with a large table in the center. On said table lay a huge map of the entire world. There were a few markings on it, but their significance remained to be seen.

"Alright, _now_ can we get some answers?"

"Aye. So what would yah like to know first?"

"Well," Nigel started calmly, then threw his candy sabers down to reflect his impatience, "I figured we could start with the info _you promised us!_"

"Yah best be stayin' calm, boy. Attitude will get yah nothin' fast. But yar right, the shorter this meetin', the better."

Sticky Beard leaned forward onto the table. The trio approached the table from the opposite side.

"Does the name 'Cuppa Joe' ring a bell?"

Nigel and Wally exchanged a quick glance. Trent stared at them, hoping for an explanation.

"Yes..." Nigel said slowly. "We've run into him once before. He's the biggest name in the Coffee industry. We destroyed his prime coffee drilling rig not too long ago. He's not a fan of the Kids Next Door, but he's never made any hostile act toward us."

"Well, ya can't be sayin' that anymore..."

"Spill it, Sticky Beard!"

The large pirate smirked, amused by Nigel's short-temperedness.

"Yarr, we were sailin' back from our li'l beach vacation when that twitchy yellow addict requested permission to come aboard. It was-"

"Cut to the point, pirate!" Wally demanded, "We ain't lookin' for a story, we want facts! Plus the smell o' this place is startin' to make me sick!"

Stick Beard's amusement with their interruptions was diminishing. All the more reason to speed things along.

"Fine. In short, he's got an army of teenagers an' a hatred for the Kids Nex' Door. Now, hatin' you brats is pretty ordinary, but he had a crazed look in his eye, I'm tellin' ya. Somethin' is drivin' him to go after yar leader."

He paused, studying the boys' reactions. Trent and Wally looked to Nigel, since he was doing all the talking anyway. He looked contemplative.

"Any idea as to what his motive might be?"

Sticky Beard shook his head. Then, he remembered something.

"Actually... he did mention... something... arr, he wa'n't makin' much sense, though. Me thinks it was all that vile caffeine in his system. Lemme think... he said..."

Silence fell as he appeared to concentrate on remembering.

"He said, the Kids Nex' Door are threatenin' war with him."

Nigel cocked an eyebrow.

"I assure you, there's no truth to that. Like I said before, we clashed once when he tried to associate with the Delightful Children From Down The Lane."

The large pirate shrugged. "It don't make a bit o' difference to me, lad. At any rate, he believes it to be true."

Trent spoke up next. "Did he give any indication to where he got that idea from?"

"Sorta. Ya know the effect coffee has on adults? Well, he seems to think you hooligans are plannin' to start usin' coffee yarselves."

"That's what he said?" Nigel confirmed.

Again, the pirate shook his head. "Nay, not exactly. He di'n't say y'all would be using coffee exactly, but if it's not that, then _something_ that'll mess ya all up alike."

Trent's eyes grew wide as a realization dawned on him.

"Numbuh 1!" He exclaimed. Everyone's eyes snapped over to him in surprise. "The transmission! It must've been from Cuppa Joe to the teenagers!"

Nigel brought his fist down into his hand. "Of course! So it wasn't a trick after all!"

"Wait," Wally said, scratching his head with his free hand, "So... this means... that Nectar Specks are real?"

"No," Nigel quickly rebuffed him, "All that proves is that Cuppa Joe is crazy enough to believe in that trash."

"Right," Trent agreed. He turned back to their pirate host. "And I'm willing to bet he came to you in hopes of some sort of an agreement?"

"Aye, he was here with hopes of an accord."

"And... was he successful?"

"Nay."

Trent grinned as the pieces all came together. Except... the picture didn't make sense.

"Wait... why'd you say no?"

"As much as I'd love to find a piece of candy only a candy connoisseur could handle-"

"Nice word there."

"Thankee. As I was sayin', I'm familiar with the legend of the Nectar Speck. And in my time, I've found more than enough treasures to justify my believin' in such tales. But, this Nectar Speck business... I don't believe it."

"You don't?"

"Nay. I found the ancient sanctuary of the nectar some time ago, where the last of the Nectar Specks was said to be. Not even a trace. The whole hunt was just a waste o' time."

Trent noticed Sticky Beard's hand curl into a fist. Apparently his former disinterest was a mask for a past disappointment.

"So the temple is real," Nigel said, trying to make sense of everything, "But... the candy is still a hoax?"

"Aye," Sticky Beard agreed, his voice notably lower with discontentment. "When I informed him of this, he flipped his lid and stormed out."

"Alright, so I get why you disagree with him," Trent said slowly, still unable to make a connection, "But what I don't get, is why are you telling this to us?"

"As I said, the man ain't quite right in the head. While I wouldn't 'ave minded a li'l wild goose chase for the amount of candy he was offerin', he ain't on a scavenger hunt, he's on a warpath."

"I... what do you mean?"

Sticky Beard's expression turned grim, something none of the boys had seen before.

"He ain't interested in just stealin' this piece of candy from y'all, he's determined to make it yar downfall, else you rise up and become powerful enough to crush all yar enemies. Don't be gettin' me wrong now, it'd be nice to not have yee snotty kids runnin' around 'n' buggin' us, but he's out for blood. I don't think he's lookin' to stop at yar downfall..."

He trailed off, though they already knew where he was going with that. All their eyes were wide as dinner plates. Wally's mouth hung open a little.

"Seems a little... extreme," Nigel thought aloud. "Though that explains the self-destructing failsafe when we rescued Numbuh 362 from that ship."

"He must think she'll be able to lead him to this Nectar Speck we supposedly have."

"Right. I donno why he's all frenzied about this, but we'll put a stop to his plans!"

"Sounds good," Wally said, though his expression was blank. "But in order to do that, we gotta know where to go next now, don't we?"

The other two just stared at him for a moment.

"...A valid point," Trent admitted.

Sticky Beard burst into laughter. "Arr, yah be quick thinkers, I'll give yee that. Fear not, ol' Sticky Beard's got somethin' else for yah." He nodded down to the map before them. He pointed to a circle on the map, somewhere in South America. "Ol' Joe told me if I changed me mind, I could be findin' him here. I've not a clue what's there, but it must be where he's controllin' all this lunacy from."

Nigel grinned. "Perfect! We'll be able to put a stop to his schemes before he can do any more damage!"

"Aye, but yah best be strikin' fast," Sticky Beard warned. "Me thinks he be plannin' to make another move soon."

"Don't worry, he won't have the chance! Anything else we should know?"

"Nay, that's all I know. Now, I believe yar friends will be arrivin' to rescue yah soon, so let's finish this outside."

Trent asked one more question before turning to the exit, "Will we be seeing more of you before this is over?"

The large man just stared blankly. "That… might not be in the stars, lad. But yee can rest assured, this won't be our last yah'll see of us."

The four made their way back out to the main deck, just in time to see their S.C.A.M.P.E.R. pull up alongside. Abby and Kuki promptly leapt out of the hatch and onto the deck, weapons raised and ready to join the fight. The candy crew simply stared at them as they realized there was no fight to join, and they lowered their weapons when they saw their comrades approaching.

"Uh, Numbuh 5 missed somethin'... What's goin' on here, Numbuh 1?"

"We got our information," Nigel replied. The boys came face to face with the girls, though Sticky Beard maintained his distance. A few of his lackeys came to his side as he halted.

"Yeah? From _him_? How can you be sure?"

"I'll explain on the way, we need to get back to the treehouse now!"

Abby warily looked over Nigel's shoulder at the pirate, who clearly had nothing else to say to any of them.

"Aye aye," She replied obediently, trusting her leader. She turned around and motioned to the cockpit of their transport to lower so they could board. It did so, and the team entered one by one. Trent stowed his M.U.S.K.E.T.'s back inside his hoodie, allowing the others to board first. As he stepped aboard, he hesitated long enough to look back at Sticky Beard, who continued to watch unwaveringly. He gave a subtle nod of respect to the pirate before closing the hatch.

"Where to, Numbuh 1?" Hoagie shouted back from the cockpit.

"The treehouse, and triple time it! We have to get in touch with Moonbase as soon as possible!"

"You got it!"

"So," Abby said, turning her seat to face Nigel, "What just happened?"

Nigel spent the next few minutes filling them in on the situation. Hoagie's and Kuki's eyes both went wide and both jaws dropped, though Abby maintained her outward calm.

"So... what do we do now?" Kuki asked.

"I'm going to update Numbuh 362 with what we now know. Then we're gonna make our way to South America and hopefully find Cuppa Joe there."

The compartment went silent for a moment, before Abby spoke up.

"I still don't get it. The Candy Pirates are helping us?"

"They're dirty pirates alright," Nigel said, "But they're not terrorists. They just want our candy, and for us to not give them any more trouble. They don't want us dead."

Trent noticed Kuki tense at the word "dead." Their gazes met for a moment before they looked back to Nigel.

"Even they know that Cuppa is going too far. All the more proof that he needs to be stopped."

* * *

Back at the Sector V treehouse, Nigel and Trent again stood in front of the command console. Nigel had just finished updating the Supreme Leader, whose face was grim as she contemplated her next move.

_"And you say you've no idea what's at the coordinates he gave you?"_

"No, but I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. There's no way Cuppa Joe expected Sticky Beard to spill his plans to us."

_"I still don't like it, Numbuh 1. This isn't an ordinary mission; if this information is true, then you could actually be killed. I can't let you go there without help. I'm sending Sectors B, CA, N, PR and T to rendezvous with you when you reach your destination."_

"We'll be fine," Nigel assured her. "But it's not us that you should be worried about. Sticky Beard warned that the next attempt to capture you may be imminent."

_"Don't worry about me,"_ She assured in return_. "Moonbase is still locked down from the first attack. No one is getting close to me. And in light of this... distressing information, every KND operative in the world will soon be at full alert."_

"Will that be enough?"

_"It'll have to be. At least for now. We've never had a threat like this, we can't take any chances."_

It was painfully obvious that she had no idea what to do about this new menace.

Trent stood with his arms crossed, grimacing about the whole situation. He couldn't understand how someone could get that obsessed over something like that. It was possible that Sticky Beard was exaggerating, but Cuppa Joe must've been pretty dang crazy if the Candy Pirates became worried for the kids' safety. As much as he didn't want to believe things were that bad, it was the only way it all made any sense.

_"Look,"_ Rachel continued, _"I want you to let me know as soon as you know anything. The entirety of the Kids Next Door will be standing by to combat this threat; we just need to know where to strike. We will see this through, with everyone intact. Now go make sure your team is ready, I need to debrief Numbuh 81."_

Nigel smirked at her confidence as he exited the room. Trent remained still, waiting for Numbuh 362 to say whatever she wanted to say to him.

_"So what do you make of this, Numbuh 81?"_

Trent shook his head.

"This all seems unreasonably excessive for a crusade based on a rumor."

_"Are you implying something, Numbuh 81?"_

"No. But would I be wrong to?"

She glared at him through the screen.

_"What are you saying?!"_

Trent took a deep breath before speaking, "Be honest with me, Rachel: is the Kids Next Door working on anything that would, you know, _start a freakin' war _like this? Like, say, trying to create a super-candy from a Nectar Speck?"

Rachel's face reddened, most likely from fury.

"_You're out of line, Numbuh 81!_"

"I'm just asking a question, ma'am," he replied coolly. "Clearly Cuppa Joe believes we're up to something which would call for action on this scale. And I don't think anyone would go this far off just a rumor."

She remained red in the face, but didn't respond immediately.

_I'm onto you, Rachel. And you know it._

He had no idea what was going on, just that something was. And if there's something going on...

"Is it worth the lives of those under you?"

The red slowly drained from her face as her glare gave way to a frown.

_"You... you're being ridiculous,"_ She finally said with a sigh. _"You don't understand."_

"Enlighten me."

_"I... can't. There is more going on than you know, I'll give you that. But there always is, and it's still classified above your level. And, regardless, this maniac still needs to be stopped before someone gets hurt, or worse."_

Her avoidance of an explanation was expected; it was her lack of repentance that bothered Trent. Maybe he'd be wrong about the KND after all.

_"I know you may not trust me right now, but I need you to. The lives of your team and the rest of the Kids Next Door depend on it. Please."_

Trent was skeptical, but she had a point. They had enough on their plate without worrying about fissures in their trust.

"Alright... I believe that you wouldn't willingly endanger the Kids Next Door."

She smiled, relieved.

_"I'm happy to hear it, Numbuh 81. I really am. But I'm gonna need you to keep all this silent... I'm sure you can understand."_

Trent sighed. He hadn't gotten any of the answer he'd hoped for, and he knew he wasn't going to.

"Well, the others are probably waiting for me.."

_"Right. Be careful out there."_

He nodded, and started to walk away.

_"And, Numbuh 81?"_

He looked over his shoulder at the screen. She looked either apologetic or concerned, he couldn't tell which.

_"Keep them safe, okay?"_

He nodded again, and left the room.

* * *

The first few minutes of the flight were quiet. Trent was still a little distraught from his conversation with Rachel, but he did his best to hide it. The kids from Sector V didn't need any more pressure right now.

"So what's the plan?" Wally asked, toying with his signature S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.

"We go in and find Joe."

Everyone turned and stared at Nigel.

"That's it? Really?"

"We're going in with zero intel," Trent said, defending Nigel's ambiguity. "We're basically wingin' it. So be ready for anything."

Wally grinned menacingly.

"Sounds like fun to me."

The aircraft suddenly shook violently.

"Numbuh 2!" Nigel yelled, gripping his seat as tightly as possible, "What on earth was that?!"

"We're taking fire from the hills below! Hang on everybody!"

Everyone clutched onto whatever they could as Hoagie maneuvered the large craft, with steep turns and barrel rolls and loops and whatever else. Finally, after what seemed like an incredibly long time, they leveled out. The passengers continued to hold on for dear life, just in case the ride wasn't really over yet. They all exchanged glances.

Wally decided to test their luck. "I... I think we made it-"

**BOOM!**

The guys all yelled and the girls screamed as the aircraft spiraled down to the ground. Luckily, Hoagie managed to straighten them out and pull them out of a nose dive, but there was no preventing the crash now. All he could do was make it as short and smooth as possible.

* * *

The crash must have been a doozy. Trent was sure he was braced for the impact, but the next thing he knew he was opening his eyes to Kuki kneeling next to him, yelling franticly. He couldn't hear her for a moment, but her voice quickly filled his ears.

"Numbuh 81! Oh Trent, please wake up!"

He rubbed his head, and felt a fresh large bandaid on his forehead. He groaned, sitting up and looking around, his senses quickly returning to normal. The others had their weapons drawn and were firing out of the busted-out front windshield and a breach in the side where the exit hatch used to be.

"Wha...?"

"Oh thank goodness you're okay!" She cried, wrapping her arms around him in relief. "You had me worried!"

"How long was I out?"

She stood up and pulled him up to his feet. "Only about a minute. You hit your head really hard when we crashed. We radioed for help, but couldn't get away before they surrounded us!"

"Who?"

"The teenagers!"

He groaned again and looked around for his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. Kuki pulled it out from behind her back and offered it to him, but didn't let go when he took it at first.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He stared into her eyes for a moment. She was on the verge of tears, possibly for any of several reasons.

"Yeah... I'm fine."

She released her grasp, and he made his way to the front. Everyone was a little scratched up from the crash, but no one else seemed to be really hurt. Hoagie and Abby were firing out of the hole where the hatch used to be.

"Numbuh 81, you okay?" Abby yelled as she tried to suppress their attackers.

"I'm up," He answered, taking position behind her. "What's it looking like out there?"

"We went down in this junkyard!" Hoagie yelled over all the gunfire. "We're pinned down by a bunch of teenagers! Our emergency transponder activated, but who knows how long until someone gets here!"

Trent gritted his teeth as they took cover from the laser beams narrowly missing them. They'd be alright as long as no one got hit, but that kind of thing couldn't be depended on.

He snuck a peek outside. They were in a clearing surrounded by hills of metal scrap and rusted out cars and, well, junk. He had to pull his head back before he could get a count, but the teens outnumber them by at least double. They were pretty spaced out in the two hills opposite the downed aircraft and were utilizing their abundance of cover pretty well, so there was no viable way they'd be able to suppress their assailants.

His mind was racing as he flinched at another near-miss, but he couldn't think of a way out.

"Numbuh 2, will you be able to get this thing back in the air?"

"I think so, but I'm gonna need to get outside to fix it if there's any hope of that! Either way, we need to get these guys off our backs! We're not goin' anywhere till then anyhow!"

_Well, so much for that.._ Trent thought to himself.

He stepped out with Abby and focused his fire on her target. Their aim was spot-on, but the masked teenage girl managed to duck just in time to avoid the shot. A guy to her right took the chance to take a shot at them, but they'd already stepped back behind cover.

_This isn't going anywhere fast..._

All of a sudden, Rachel's voice played in his head. _"You're a commando... If things take a turn for the worst... make sure Sector V gets out in one piece."_

His mind continued to race, but he was no longer looking to survive this encounter, he was looking to win it.

"Numbuh 2, Numbuh 5," He called for their attention as he dropped his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P., "Do you see that one closest to us, behind that burned-out car to the left?"

They both nodded. He withdrew his dual M.U.S.K.E.T.'s from his hoodie and crouched down.

"When I say, send everything you've got his way!"

Abby raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just what are you gonna do, Numbuh 81?"

He managed to put up a confident smile for them.

"Turnin' the table, of course!"

Abby clearly wasn't fond of whatever he was planning, but she was in no position to argue. He looked over to Hoagie, who gave him a supportive nod.

"Alright... NOW!"

Hoagie and Abby stepped out and lay down suppressive fire as Trent darted out between them, firing away at the teen now cowering behind the car husk. His covering fire ceased as he reached his target, though he no longer needed it. When the teen popped his head up to resume his assault, he came face to face with Trent standing on the roof of the car, grinning sinisterly at him. Before he could react, he was sent flying backward off his feet and crashing to the ground with a nice imprint of the bottom of Trent's shoe on his face.

"_Hey!_" Trent heard one of the teens shout. He somersaulted off the car and dodged laser beams as he charged his next target. He directed his fire at the pair of teens in from of him, but couldn't aim properly without sacrificing speed, though he did manage to land a shot square in one of the teen's chest. His momentum was more important to his plan, which was simple: try to take down as many teens as he could before his recklessness caught up with him.

Realizing he was about to get up close and personal with the second one, his stowed his sidearms back inside his hoodie and leapt at his target. The girl dodged his first punch, but failed to foresee his sweeping her legs out from underneath her. She fell hard and stayed flat, moaning faintly. Trent was satisfied that she was down for the count, and spun around to acquire his next target.

That was the moment he realized he was totally exposed to the remaining teens. There were at least seven more, and they had all their sights set on him. Everything slowed as he realized his gutsy rampage had just come to an end.

"_Numbuh eighty-oooooooone!_" Kuki shrieked.

An explosion sent one of the teens flew through the air. Everyone turned to look, just as another explosion sent the teen furthest away snowballing down the hill of debris into the unfortunate girl at the base of it.

_What the...?_

A vicious battle-cry emanated from behind the teen at the peak of the hill. He turned and fired off a few shots before his firearm was sent flying out of his hands. Trent saw him take a step back before doubling over and falling to the ground in a fetal position. When he fell, a single boy stepped into view.

This boy was wearing a black turtleneck under a brown parka vest, dark grey army-style pants tucked into black combat boots, and a Russian winter cap, black on the outside with grey fur on the inside of the flaps. His face was hidden behind a pair of shades and a black facemask. He sported a S.P.I.C.E.R. in one hand and a fist in the other.

"Cute fireworks, kid!" The last remaining girl jeered as she and her five burly male cohorts prepared to fire, "But I think you need some time in _time out!_"

The newcomer chuckled, as if amused by her assertion. The teens gathered around the girl as she smirked.

"Something funny? Well, we'll just-"

Her sentence was cut short by a blast from Trent's M.U.S.K.E.T. The others were caught off guard by this sudden show of aggression, and instinctively turned their weapons on him. This defensive reflex betrayed them as the newcomer charged the group, gun blazing.

A moment later, the two kids were the only fighters left standing. They stood a few feet apart, surveying the groaning bodies strewn about around them.

"C'mon, let's get outta here!" The jeering girl ordered as she staggered to her feet. She pressed a button on her wrist and two jet boosters popped out from her back. The rest followed suit and they fled the scene. The two boys watched until they disappeared from sight.

The newcomer lowered his facemask, revealing the tan skin of his Italian heritage. He faced Trent, and that's when Trent noticed the green number "419" sewn onto the front flap of the boy's cap. He held his frown as he examined Trent, but after a moment cracked a smile.

"Not bad, man," He said approvingly. "You've got guts to risk a charge like that."

"Thanks," Trent replied as they both holstered their weapons. "But it's a good thing you showed up when you did. Lemme guess: Numbuh 419?"

"Yep. And you are...?"

"Numbuh 81, Kids Next Door commando. Currently assigned to Sector V."

Numbuh 419's smile broadened slightly and he opened his mouth to speak, but with a glance over Trent's shoulder, the smile gave way to a seething glare as he hastily marched past, growling under his breath. Trent turned and watched him approach the members of Sector V, who were fanning out from their refuge.

"Good fight there, guys!" He shouted, the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable. "Your support really turned the tides there!"

Hoagie and Kuki looked down at their feet. Abby tilted her hat down over her eyes. Nigel and Wally glared.

"When I came to the aid of the renowned Sector V, I assumed you'd be putting up a fight, not moping in your hole till someone came to pull you out!"

"We were pinned down and couldn't move without risking exposure!" Nigel said crossly, defending his team's actions.

"So you sat on your butts and hoped for the best?!"

"We were outgunned and outmaneuvered! I wasn't going to jeopardize my team when I knew help was on the way!"

"Did you?!" Numbuh 419 barked as he came face to face with the bald operative. "Did you know?!"

Nigel's face reddened, but he contained his anger, asking a question instead of continuing their argument.

"Who are you, anyway? Where's the rest of your team?"

Numbuh 419 stepped back from Nigel and looked over the rest of the operatives before answering.

"Numbuh 419, Kids Next Door commando."

Trent's eyes widened slightly.

_This is what the other commandos are like? Dang, I've got a lotta training to do.._

"I was on my way to South America with Sector CA," Numbuh 419 continued, placing his hands behind his back, "to help with the assault on Cuppa Joe's supposed base of operations. We were intercepted by a group of teens, though we were lucky enough to land on our own terms. I got your distress call as we were sweeping up and came as soon as I could. Good thing, too, 'cause new guy here still has a lot to learn about beating the odds by himself. Especially since you all were no help."

Nigel was glaring behind his sunglass but kept his cool. He looked over and nodded to Hoagie, who turned and began checking the downed transport.

"Well, we're going to need to get in contact with the rest of the assault force and let them know we've been delayed."

"Negative," Numbuh 419 said, shaking his head. "The attack's been called off. I also come with new orders from Numbuh 362 herself: your team is to report to Moonbase as soon as possible."

Trent and Wally exchanged curious looks as Nigel raised an eyebrow and voiced their thoughts, "Why? Did she say?"

"Nope. But she's super on edge right now."

"Somethin' must be goin' on," Abby thought aloud. Everyone silently agreed.

"Numbuh 2, how's it look?"

"She's got a buncha new holes; she's in no shape for space travel. The engine overheated when I brought her down, but it's cooled enough by now to get us back to the treehouse. We'll take somethin' else to Moonbase."

Nigel looked over to Numbuh 419. "Will you be joining us?"

"Yep."

* * *

**_A/N: _****I know, I suck at pirate talk. Anywho, I hope you've enjoyed my story so far. Chapter 6 is in the works, and I plan to have it done soon. Till then, please review and lemme know what you think. I do love feedback. lol Also, Anonymous Reviews are allowed, so visitors: have at it.**

**Stay classy, San Diego.  
- Marty**


	6. Comrades & Conspiracies

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

**Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this... you'd be watching it.**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Well, this chapter took longer to finish than I'd hoped. Things got pretty busy and I didn't have any time to work on it for about a week. Sorry about that. Anywho, I pretty literally just finished typing this up, so I haven't gone through and grammar/spell-checked it yet, so apologies for any mistakes. I'll go through and fix 'em when I can. I admit it was kinda rushed, due to my unforeseen delay in getting it done, but I think it turned out alright.**

** Eric Cartman Forever - Glad to hear it! Hopefully I'll continue to not to.**

** darkollie77 - Sweetness! Wait no longer, here it is. But you can't read it till you update your story. lol jk Though I do look forward to seeing the next chapter.**

** natalie1668 - Thanks, I never use pirate talk, so I was going out on a limb there. lol**

** Commander York - Yeah he is. lol**

**Appreciate the reviews everyone! Now, on with the show!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: COMRADES & CONSPIRACIES**

* * *

As soon as they stepped out of their C.O.O.L.B.U.S. onto the Moonbase hangar floor, each of the operatives sensed something was... off. None of them could describe it, but when their gazes met, they could tell the others noticed it too. Numbuh 419 shot them an uncertain look before he headed off on his own.

The remaining six headed straight to the bridge. This was the first time any of them made it up there without seeing a single smile along the way. Something was definitely amiss.

* * *

"I don't think so," Rachel could be heard saying as soon as the bridge door opened, "I don't wanna chance it, just-"

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the group approaching her. Her face was a mix of anxiety and alarm. Next to her stood Fanny, who looked as livid as ever. Rachel waited until they were close enough to hear her speak quietly before she did so.

"Thank goodness you're all alright!" She said, sounding relieved. She then noticed the large band-aid on Trent's forehead, but he nodded in reassurance before she could retract her statement.

"What's going on, Numbuh 362?" Nigel asked. "What's so urgent? Why was the attack called off?"

"Nothing good, Numbuh 1.. Every Sector involved was ambushed en route, just as you were."

"Yeah, and just _how_ did _that_ happen?!"

Numbuh 419 joined the group and was locked in on Rachel. But before he could continue, a fuming Numbuh 86 jumped in his face.

"YAH'D BEST BE WATCHIN' WHAT YAH SAY TO THE SUPREME LEADER, _BOY!_"

"STEP ASIDE, NUMBUH 86! I-"

"YOU'LL BE GETTIN' A FACE FULLA DECK WITH THAT ATTITUDE!"

"TRY IT, YOU STUPID GIRL!"

"GLADLY!"

"_HEY!_" The two stumbled back as Rachel stepped forward and forced them apart. "Stand down, both of you! We can't afford this division right now!"

Fanny and Numbuh 419 growled at each other, but respected their leader's wish and withdrew from their fighting stances. Rachel took a deep breath and stepped back to study the entire group.

"So," Numbuh 419 started again, still clearly flustered but keeping his voice calm, "how did they know who and where to set up those ambushes?"

"I... I don't know," Rachel admitted. "But it's painfully obvious there's a mole somewhere inside the Kids Next Door..."

Trent stood with his arms crossed. She glanced at him for a second before focusing on the members of Sector V.

"...somewhere high up."

"Is it related to the accusation of our researching-"

"No, Numbuh 1!" She shot him an aggravated glare, similar to her & Trent's earlier conversation. "There's no...!"

Nigel raised an eyebrow. Rachel sighed and continued.

"Look, I just finished reviewing all KND science projects currently in production, and there's nothing of that nature going on."

Trent was growing tired of only receiving partial answers. "Then why have you been so defensive on the subject?"

Rachel sighed. "Fanny, could you make sure no one is eavesdropping?"

The redhead nodded and left the circle. Hoagie and Kuki swapped looks of confusion.

"Before I took the role of Supreme Leader," she explained, her voice so quiet they could barely hear her, "Numbuh 274... Chad... he approved the researching of coffee and its effects on both adults and kids. As you know, kids can't handle coffee very long without crashing. What you didn't know is that Chad had our scientists trying to create a... an _alternative_... for us."

"So it _is_ true!"

"Not quite, Numbuh 81. After he defected, the project was terminated."

"What about the progress they made?"

"There was nothing to show for it."

Trent was skeptical, but he believed she wouldn't lie to him.

"So we're being threatened because of a long-discontinued project that yielded no results anyways?"

Rachel nodded slowly. "Seems that way. Still, that file was classified and hidden away to never be seen by kid eyes again. No one else was supposed to know about it. So this mole... or, moles... they're in deep."

"I'm guessing you've no idea who it could be, then?" Nigel asked, though they all knew the answer.

"None."

A thoughtful silence fell upon the group, not that any of them were expecting any epiphanies or anything.

"Well, we can't wait for these traitors to show themselves," Numbuh 419 decided out loud. "We have to make our move on Cuppa's base of operations. His spies won't do him any good when they have no one to report to."

"His base is definitely a problem, there's no denying that. But that's a mission we just don't have the capacity to take on right now, Numbuh 419. I'd say that was just made pretty clear to us."

Numbuh 419 grinned mischievously at the Supreme Leader. "And that's where you're wrong, chief. It's not a lack of capability. We just gotta change tactics a bit."

The group stared at him inquisitively as he cracked his knuckles.

"What do you have in mind?" Rachel asked slowly. Numbuh 419's grin widened.

"The assault on Cuppa Joe will go down as planned. Well, mostly. But leave that part to me."

Rachel placed her hands on her hips, though she couldn't stop the smirk from spreading across her face as he spoke.

"We'll use messengers to coordinate our forces, to avoid the moles. Numbuh 1 will go to the Sector B treehouse and tell them to join the fight at Cuppa's base as soon as they can. Numbuh 2, do the same for Sector CA. Numbuh 3, Sector N; Numbuh 4, Sector PR; Numbuh 5, Sector T. Numbuh 81 will come with me."

"And just what will you be doing?" Nigel asked, uncrossing his arms.

"We'll go on in and get things going."

"By yourselves?"

"What?" Numbuh 419 asked in an synthetically innocent voice. "Of course not! That'd be crazy. But like I said, leave that to me."

The Sector V operatives looked to Rachel for her approval. She was still grinning at Numbuh 419's determination.

"Let's do it."

* * *

Trent sat behind the pilot in the Moonbase C.O.O.L.B.U.S. Rachel assigned to take the commandos to Cuppa's base. Numbuh 419 sat next to him, pressing buttons on the comms panel in front of him. He was frustrated for a minute when he could only get static, but the noise finally died down as a boy's voice came through the speakers, though there was still some interference.

_"This is Numbuh-... of the K-... ext Door. Who... this?"_

"Ah-ha! Finally! Hey, it's me, bro."

_"Oh, Nu-... 419. Or should I say-... What's the latest?"_

"You're comin' in kinda broken, man. Listen, I'm sending some coordinates your way. Meet us there ASAP. And bring your A-game, it's gonna be a fun time."

_"Yeah? Well, you-... at they say, 'It's a party as long as you're there.'"_

"See ya soon."

_"You know it. Num-... out."_

Numbuh 419 chuckled to himself as he closed the comm channel.

"Who was that?" Trent asked curiously.

"An old friend. You'll like him. So, pilot, what's our ETA?"

"About two minutes," the girl responded. "You guys ready?"

Numbuh 419 nodded, readying the S.P.I.C.E.R. resting in his lap. Trent did the same with his signature B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P.

Their plan was to deploy in drop pods (which Trent recently learned were called D.R.O.P.P.U.H.-P.O.D.'s) and hit the facility right in the heart. They weren't expecting to take Cuppa Joe down by themselves, just soften up his defenses so the arriving sectors would have an easier time accomplishing the mission. The two commandos were some of the most highly trained operatives in the Kids Next Door, along with whoever Numbuh 419 was calling in to help, so Rachel allowed for them to go in first, though Trent got the impression her permission was little more than a formality to Numbuh 419 in this case.

"Alright, Numbuh 81," Numbuh 419 said as he spun his seat around to face Trent, "I noticed you're getting pretty close to the Sector V guys. Nothin' wrong with that, as long as you remember that _you're not one of them_. You're just a guest... don't go thinkin' you're a part of their story."

Trent raised an eyebrow at him. "I know it's just temporary. What's the problem?"

Numbuh 419 shook his head. "No problem. Just a reminder. But, we'll get back to you on that. For now, there's only one thing you need to remember: You're a commando. Your job is to be an entire Sector packed into a single kid. You weren't assigned to Sector V to bump up their firepower, you were sent to double it. "

Trent continued to give the senior commando a quizzical look until the pilot gave the signal. This time, when the metal column lowered from the roof and encapsulated him in his D.R.O.P.P.U.H.-P.O.D., his breathing remained calm and level. He knew he was headed into the biggest fight of his life thus far, but he wasn't really worried about it. Maybe it was his training and little bit of experience mixing with his confidence. Maybe it was ignorance. Or maybe it was Numbuh 419's words hitting him harder than he realized.

Whatever the reason, he was ready to fight.

A flash and a loud pop. The whistling of the wind as he cut through it. And finally, a loud **_THUMP_**.

The lid of the pod popped off and Trent leapt out. He landed just next to Numbuh 419, and the two examined their surroundings. They were in the middle of a compound of warehouses, with a few 2-3 story buildings in the center. The compound was surrounded by acres and acres of trees. There were several people around, all of whom had stopped to gape at their unexpected visitors from the sky.

"They look like regular people," Trent observed in a whisper, "I don't see any weapons."

Numbuh 419, who once again had his facemask covering his features, seemed more interested in the buildings than the people.

"You don't need to," he muttered. All of the people fled away from the two as they started sprinting to the nearest building.

That's when the first shots rang out. The dirt around them kicked up into the air as the projectiles missed their marks. The boys raised their weapons and returned fire as armed guards wielding automatic coffee-bean weapons appeared on the rooftops and poured out of the buildings. The two were vastly outnumbered, but who honestly didn't see that coming?

"So where's this backup you called for?" Trent asked they took cover behind an old baby blue pickup truck.

"Donno," Numbuh 419 admitted casually as he blindfired around the truck. "Didn't hear him say where he was, did you?"

Trent popped up long enough to drop a couple of guards before dropping down and shooting his compatriot an indignant glare. "Um, don't you think that's kind of an important detail?"

The other commando laughed as he fired at three guards attempting to flank them, pushing them back to cover. "Look, who's the new guy, and who's the experienced operative? Just keep these jokers off us a little longer and we'll get going."

_This guy is crazy. But he does have a point._

The two continued to fire off enough shots to keep their opponents from advancing on them, though they made no attempt to advance from the current position. Numbuh 419 seemed confident that their help would arrive at any moment, so Trent just went with it. What else could he really do?

A deafening boom echoed between the buildings, causing the guards to let up their attack and look around in anxious curiosity. Numbuh 419 chuckled to himself, and met Trent's gaze. Though Trent couldn't see any of his features, he knew the boy was smiling.

"Told yah."

The warehouses on either side of the protected building them went up in clouds of fire and flame. The guards all instinctively covered their ears and cowered from the sudden commotion. The two commandos interpreted this as their cue, stepping out from behind the truck and paraded their way toward the main building with guns blazing, putting the disoriented guards out of commission as they went.

The area darkened some as the sky above became obscured by smoke. As the last guard fell unconscious at their feet, a lone figure appeared on the edge of the roof before them. Trent couldn't get a good look at first, until the figure rappelled down and came to face with them.

"Well," The boy said, bringing the B.O.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. slung around his back to bear, "That was fun."

The newcomer's face was hidden by a facemask and shades, just like Numbuh 419. He wore a blue army-style jacket and pants tucked into black combat boots, dark grey fingerless combat gloves and a dark grey fishing vest. He was also armed with a M.U.S.K.E.T. in a leg holster. Trent could see some dark brown hair hanging over the top of his shades from under a navy blue knit cap which bore red numbers Trent had seen before.

"Numbuh 522?"

The boy nodded. "Ello, Numbuh 81," he greeted in a mock Australian accent, then spoke normally with a slight southern accent. "Glad to see you getting a taste of the glorious life of a commando. It'd cite the glorious aroma, but I can't smell anything over the stench on those burning coffee depots..."

"Yeah. So are explosions always necessary when joining a fight?"

"Nah. But It's highly recommended."

_"WHAT IN MOCHA JAVA IS HAPPENING HERE?!"_ Boomed a voice through a PA system. The three spun around and put their backs to each other, scanning for the speaker.

"You bring anyone with you?" Trent asked, fighting the sinking feeling in his chest.

"We don't need anyone else," Numbuh 419 growled, eager for the next fight to start.

"Hmmm..." Numbuh 522 shifted to face the doorway of the building before them, prompting the other two to do the same. "Let's hope not."

Standing in the doorway was none other than Cuppa Joe himself, his left eye twitching uncontrollably from an unhealthy combination of caffeine and rage. He had his oversized cup of coffee in his right hand and a tight fist clenched in the other.

"WHAT ARE YOUUU BRATS DOING?!" He bellowed, his words slurring together a little as he spoke rapidly. "IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU BLEW UP MY MAIN DRILLING PLATFORM? ARE YOU TRYING TO PUT ME OUT OF BUSINESS?!"

"Can it, Joe!" Numbuh 419 barked. "Your evil scheme ends here!"

"WHAT SCHEME? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"Don't play dumb! We know everything! No one dies because of you!"

Cuppa Joe tilted his head to the side in confusion. "WHAT... Whaaat are you going on about, boy?!"

Numbuh 419 growled, frustrated by the lack of cooperation. "_I said_ don't play dumb! If you wanna play games, how about we play shooting gallery?!"

Cuppa chuckled sinisterly at these words, and gulped down the remainder of his coffee. "Or..." He threw his cup down, which shattered on ground at his feet, "How about we play _TAG?!_"

Before any of them were able to react, Cuppa flew at them in a yellow blur and sent them all flying off their feet. Trent landed hard on his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. He rolled over onto his front, wheezing as he tried to recover from the blow. He looked up and saw the others jump to their feet, only to get beaten down by the angry man zipping around in streaks of yellow.

He looked around, and saw his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. on the ground about 10 feet away. He took a deep breath, then made a break for it. He only made it a few feet before he received a swift punch to the side out of nowhere, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

_This isn't gonna last very long... we gotta end this now... before he does._

Numbuh 419 yelled in fury as he again hopped up to his feet. Cuppa dashed at him for another attack, but to his surprise Numbuh 419 managed to land a punch right in his stomach. The villain stumbled backward, and the boy leapt in for another strike, but he'd already vanished in a yellow flash. Numbuh 419 twisted around in search of his target, but instead got a boot in the small of his back, sending him flying forward and landing on his face.

Trent reached into his hoodie and withdrew a M.U.S.K.E.T. Unfortunately, Cuppa saw this and dashed over, disarming him and grabbing him by the throat. He lifted the boy off the ground, and held him just inches from his glaring face.

"You little troublemakers are gonna _pay_," he snarled, tightening his grasp. "I'm gonna- ARGH!" He released his grasp and fell, landing on top of the boy. Trent kicked him off, and saw Numbuh 522 standing behind him, with Numbuh 419's S.P.I.C.E.R. in hand, still aimed at their fallen foe.

The three surrounded the man, each still panting as they caught their breath. Cuppa groaned as he rolled over and saw he was on the receiving end of their firearms.

"Ugh... why?" He asked slowly, not making eye contact with any of them.

"Why what?" Numbuh 419 snapped, holding his side with his free hand.

"Why are you here? What do you want?"

"I told you! We're putting a stop to your heinous plan!"

Cuppa glared at the insolent boy. "And I told you! I'm not planning anything!"

Numbuh 419 growled, irritated. "Sticky Beard spilled your plan, Joe. We know everything."

"Sticky Beard? That grubby candy pirate?" His angry expression faded into one of puzzlement. "_What_ are you going on about?"

"He told us all about your plan to exterminate the Kids Next Door. Even a buncha pirates couldn't believe how messed up in the head you are."

"Would you stop talkin' in circles?! Cut it out with the insults and start makin' some sense, kid! I'm not doing anything that has to do with the Kids Next Door! After that fiasco with those Delightful Children From Down The Lane, I learned it wasn't worth getting involved!"

Numbuh 522 lowered his weapon and looked at his comrades. "Guys... I think he's being legit."

Numbuh 419 shot his head over. "_What?!_"

Numbuh 522 nodded and looked back down at Cuppa. "You don't have any moles in the Kids Next Door, do you?"

"Of course not! I do my best to just forget you brats even exist! Why would I do anything that might bring you my way? Not that I need to, apparently..."

"You working with any teenagers?"

"No!"

Trent lowered his M.U.S.K.E.T. and looked at Numbuh 522. "So... This whole thing with Cuppa Joe... was a diversion?"

"Yep. A red herring. We need to get in touch with Numbuh 362 ASAP!"

**"You're not going anywhere!"** boomed a deep voice. The three kids spun around to see a child-sized figure walking towards them, wearing a white jumpsuit and a black ski mask hiding their face. The person was obviously using a voice changer.

"Who're you?" Numbuh 522 demanded.

**"My identity is irrelevant; I am the forsaken. You weren't sent here to ask questions, you were sent to eliminate that man. But now you know too much. You must be eliminated as well."**

"How do you know anything? Hey, stay where you are!"

The newcomer stopped in his tracks. He chuckled lowly.

**"You're too late to make any difference."**

Convinced this newcomer meant business, Trent and Numbuh 419 both took their shots. Their aim was spot on; unfortunately, their target had disappeared into thin air before he could be hit.

"What in the name of Zero...?" Numbuh 522 uttered breathlessly, "Oh, that can't be good-"

A white blur zoomed up behind the flabbergasted operative. Before he could turn, the newcomer kicked his legs out from underneath him, and bashed him in the chest with both hands as he fell, causing him to hit the ground as hard as possible.

"Forsaken, huh?" Numbuh 419 jeered, "Must be your personality."

Trent turned to engage Jumpsuit (that's what he called him in his head) as Numbuh 419 drew his attention. He wasn't sure what his comrade thought would happen, but if it wasn't a swift punch to the face, he was sadly mistaken. But, he managed to keep Jumpsuit in place long enough for Trent to deliver a blast from his M.U.S.K.E.T. right between the shoulder blades. Jumpsuit yelled out in pain and fell down on all four, hanging his head down low.

Numbuh 522 limped up next to Jumpsuit, panting and clutching his chest. "What... how...?"

**"This... isn't... _over!_"** Jumpsuit roared, lunging at Numbuh 419. The two rolled around on the ground as they grappled. Numbuh 419 was trying to keep a hold on his opponent so he couldn't dash away, but was taking more hits in return. Trent and Numbuh 522 kept their weapons trained on the two, but couldn't risk taking a shot until they separated.

After a few moments, Jumpsuit managed to throw Numbuh 419 off of him. The two observers fired their weapons, but Jumpsuit had already dashed out of the way.

"Crap!" Numbuh 522 yelled. He ran over to Numbuh 419 and helped him off the ground. The boy groaned and shook his head.

"We can't keep this up..."

Jumpsuit materialized in front of the trio. He had a couple of tears in his outfit, but they only revealed a black layer of cloth underneath. He still stood strong, his posture not showing any signs of fatigue.

"I don't... see how... we can win this..." Trent panted.

**"That's because you can't!"**

A white flash, and Trent found himself face up on the ground. His nose was throbbing, and he could tell it was bleeding. He could hear the sounds of blows being delivered, but couldn't bring himself to watch his comrades get beaten down.

_I can't just give up..._

He reached into his hoodie and removed his second M.U.S.K.E.T. He took a deep breath, and used all his might to jump back to his feet. Jumpsuit saw him rise up and turned to him.

**"It's kind of a shame you need to end here. At least this way you don't have to wait like the rest."**

Jumpsuit bent his knees as he prepared to strike, and Trent raised his weapon. He honestly wasn't expecting to make a difference at that point, but darn if he was going out without a fight.

"_SO THIS IS YOUR FAULT, KID?!_"

A yellow streak flew up to Jumpsuit and kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over at the feet of Cuppa Joe.

"I DONNO WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT, BUT YOU'VE MESSED WITH THE _WROOONG_ ADULT!"

**"Ha! I'm not worried!"**

The two engaged in a fight none of the commandos could comprehend. Yellow and white streaks flew around as the three boys stood dumbfounded. This wasn't their fight anymore; they were barely even spectators.

There was a loud **"UGH!"** as Jumpsuit skidded to a halt a few meters away from them. Cuppa appeared next to the operatives, fists clenched and breathing heavily with rage. His yellow suit was ruffled up, but he didn't look like he took many hits.

Jumpsuit moaned as he got to his feet. He had a lot more tears in his outfit now, but didn't look too messed up. He shook his head, and resumed a fighting stance.

**"You think I'm gonna let you defeat me? _Nothing_ will stop me!"**

Cuppa chuckled to himself as the three operatives readied their weapons. "You think I need your _permission_, boy?"

The two sides stared each other down. The next stage of the fight would undoubtedly decide the outcome. And with Cuppa Joe on their side, the boys were finally feeling pretty good about their chances. Numbuh 522 withdrew his M.U.S.K.E.T. from his holster, Numbuh 419 picked up his S.P.I.C.E.R., and they all took aim.

**"Hm... You've put up a good fight. Well, better than I had anticipated. I should've expected as much. But, with-"**

Numbuh 419 burst out into laughter. Then Numbuh 522. Jumpsuit tilted his head to the side in confusion. Trent was confused as well for a moment as well, until he saw it. Then he joined in the laughter.

"What's so funny?" Cuppa Joe asked. Numbuh 522 holstered his M.U.S.K.E.T.

"Wait for it."

Their ears were suddenly filled with the sound of jet engines. Jumpsuit abandoned his fighting stance as he looked up to see multiple Kids Next Door transports cut through the smoke, then touched down all around him. Operatives spilled out from each and encircled him.

**"This is... inconvenient."**

And with that, he was gone.

"Sectors B, CA and PR, search the area!" Nigel shouted as he hopped out of a M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.

"_Freeze, Cuppa!_"

Trent spun around, realizing the operatives of Sectors N and T were circled up around them. The remaining members of Sector V stepped up to the commandos. All eyes were on Cuppa.

"Don't try anything stupid!" Wally barked.

"Stand down!" Numbuh 522 shouted, stepping between Wally and Cuppa. "We've been tricked! Cuppa Joe's been framed!"

Wally cocked an eyebrow at Numbuh 522, but lowered his gun regardless. The rest of the onlookers did the same, except Abby. She narrowed her eyes at Cuppa. Trent placed his hand on her weapon and shook his head. They exchanged stern looks, but she finally stood down.

"Explain yourself!" Nigel commanded as he joined the group.

"Sticky Beard lied to us," Trent said crossly, stowing his M.U.S.K.E.T. back inside his hoodie. "Cuppa's not-"

"My question was directed to Numbuh 522, Numbuh 81!" Nigel interrupted, and then turned back to him. "Do you realize what you're saying?!"

Trent clinched his fists at Nigel's disregard for his account.

_It's because you're not one of them.._

"I know _exactly_ what I'm saying," Numbuh 522 replied calmly as he crossed his arms. "We've been duped. Cuppa Joe was never planning anything against the Kids Next Door."

"That can't be right," Hoagie said as the rest of Sector V came up next to their leader and the commandos. Kuki took a spot next to Trent. She looked over his wounds with eyes wide with concern. He just stared at her. He was glad to see her again, but something just didn't feel the same this time...

"Yeah," Abby agreed, placing her hands on her hips. "We were informed by Captain Sticky Beard himself that Cuppa Joe was plotting to take us out of the picture! _Permanently!_ He even tried to get the candy pirates to join him!"

"WHAT?!" Cuppa Joe bellowed, but Numbuh 522 raised a hand in his direction. None of the group spoke, they all just gazed at him.

"Okay," the commando muttered, his voice reflecting his current thoughtfulness. "Okay... I don't know what's going on... but I do know... that this here is a dead end. We need to backtrack..."

Numbuh 522 turned to Numbuh 419 and nodded, and the two stepped away to talk out of earshot. Trent looked over to Nigel, still a little irritated by Nigel's attitude towards his fellow commandos.

"What was that all about?" he asked, the aggravation in his voice apparent. Nigel whipped his head around to face him.

"These commandos always have to run the show," Nigel grumbled, looking at Trent over the top of his glasses and frowning. "Think they always need to take everything into their own hands, like the rest of us are incompetent."

Trent clinched his fists again, and glared at Nigel. "You mean _us_, right?"

"Huh?"

Trent felt a rage well up inside him as he engaged in a glaring match with the bald operative. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked over at Kuki as she stepped back next to Wally with a worried expression on her face. He stared at her for a moment. The pause caused him to lose some momentum, but when he turned his head back to Nigel he was back on track.

"I don't know what your problem is," He said lowly, "We just learned the truth about the existence of the _real_ plot to wipe out the Kids Next Door, and you're all heated 'cause you're not in the spotlight? What gives, Numbuh 1? Why not let us do what we're here to do?"

Nigel clinched his fists as well. "So, what, you think you're calling the shots now?"

"Don't be stupid, Uno," Numbuh 419 cut in as he and Numbuh 522 rejoined the group, standing opposite the members of Sector V. "Numbuh 362 is still calling all the shots. Not us. And not _you_."

"Watch your tone, commando!"

Numbuh 419 lowered his facemask, showing his gritted teeth. "Look, I'm sorry if you couldn't get called out by someone more preferable, but this is what's happening now!"

"It's best that you remember who the enemy is here, Numbuh 1," Numbuh 522 added coolly, lowering his facemask as well. He had slightly paler skin than Trent, which was pretty dang pale.

"That'd be a lot easier if we actually knew _who that was!_"

"Well, it's not us. We're guardians of the great treehouse of the Kids Next Door. Who're you, Numbuh 1?"

Nigel glared at the boy as a tense silence followed. Trent looked over the members of Sector V, whom all watched the argument with looks of uncertainty. If it came to it, they'd side with their leader. And that's when Trent understood Numbuh 419's words from before the mission.

"We're returning to Moonbase to inform Numbuh 362 of this new information. Be there if you want to play a role in this. If not, then return to your treehouse."

"That's not your call to make!"

"The recommendations of three commandos carry a lot of weight, Numbuh 1. It's not our call, but this is quickly becoming our show."

Numbuh 522 paused to give Nigel a chance to speak his mind. When he remained silent, the commando continued.

"This is looking pretty grim, Numbuh 1. We could really use your help. But you're not irreplaceable. Make your decision, and make it quick."

With that, he turned and headed off toward Sector CA's S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Numbuh 419 frowned at Nigel a moment longer before following.

"Well," Nigel spoke quietly, "let's get out of here."

Sector V turned and started to walk away, but all stopped and looked back at Trent, who remained still.

"Numbuh 81!" Nigel called impatiently, "Need I repeat myself? We're done here!"

Trent stared down at the ground between himself and the group. He didn't look at his addressor, nor did he look at the others, who he could almost feel staring at him.

He shifted his gaze to his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. on the ground between Abby and Kuki. He calmly walked over to it and picked it up, checking it for damage. There was none, but he kept his eyes fixed on it for another moment.

"I was assigned to Sector V to help combat the Delightful Children From Down The Lane," He said, his voice low and gruff, "Then we get involved with the candy pirates, and then Cuppa Joe… only to find it was all a faux. Control of this operation will probably be handed over Numbuh 522 and Numbuh 419. My services are likely to be needed elsewhere."

He turned and headed off to join his fellow commandos, not bothering to look at the expressions of the Sector behind him. It didn't matter anymore.

* * *

Trent flinched as the female operative disinfected a cut on his cheek. She frowned in apology, but didn't slow in her work.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, Numbuh 419!" replied the Canadian boy wrapping his left forearm with medical wrapping.

Numbuh 419 growled. "You're okay, man. Just caught me off guard."

"You're lucky it isn't broken," said a second boy, "That sounded like quite a fight, eh?"

Numbuh 419 nodded. As soon as his arm was wrapped, he reached up and removed his shades, revealing his small brown eyes for the first time. He looked frustrated, just like the other two.

In the back, Numbuh 522 was talking with Numbuh 37, leader of the Canadian Sector. He was just as beat up as Numbuh 419, but stubbornly refused treatment, insisting on talking with Numbuh 37 in private.

"All done!" the brunette girl said pleasantly as she applied the medical bandage. "You're good to go."

Trent smiled and nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, Numbuh 39."

She returned the nod and smiled brightly. They looked over to watch Numbuh 419 for a moment, before Numbuh 522 emerged from his conversation in the back and took a seat across from them. He took off his knit cap and ran his fingers through his short, messy, dark brown hair. He took in a deep breath, and released it just as slowly.

"So what's the plan?" Trent asked. Numbuh 522 looked over at him, and removed his shades. He stared with a look in his grayish-blue eyes, a look Trent wasn't quite able to decipher.

"We're gonna fill in Numbuh 362," he said after a few seconds. "Then we're gonna get some answers. I have no idea who that... 'Forsaken' joker is, but we're gonna find out, and we're gonna bring him down. We've solved cases with less before."

Trent pondered his words for a moment. "How're we gonna do that? We don't know anything about him.."

"No, but we know where to start," Numbuh 419 said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his arms on his knees.

"We do?"

"Yep. You got your information on Cuppa Joe from Sticky Beard. But if everything about Cuppa was a lie, then how would he know where to lead you? According to Mister Forsaken back there, this is all _his_ plan-"

Trent considered his companion's words, and realized what he was saying.

"The Forsaken cut a deal with Sticky Beard to lure us to Cuppa Joe!"

"Forced a 'deal' with 'im, more than likely," Numbuh 522 said. "I doubt he had any intentions of letting them say no. But that's a problem in itself: if he's powerful enough to force the candy pirates to do what he wants, then we either got lucky back there, or he's not alone."

"Why Sticky Beard, then? Why not someone who'd be easier to intimidate?"

"Because it made the most sense with him. Cuppa Joe wants to steal the sweetest piece of candy the world has ever known from the Kids Next Door, so who better to turn to than Sticky Beard and the candy pirates for help?"

"I guess that sounds about right..."

Trent looked out the front windshield and watched as they broke through the atmosphere, where they blue sky gave way to the spotted blackness of space. He grinned to himself, remembering the first time he entered the final frontier. Then he remembered the last time, with Sector V, and his gaze slowly dropped down to his feet.

"What's on your mind, Numbuh 81?"

He looked up at Numbuh 522, who was eyeing him curiously.

"It's, uh... it's nothing," he said, hoping his colleague would buy the excuse. Unfortunately, he didn't, so he continued. "I'm just... disappointed with how that turned out."

"Yeah, that was some crap back there," Numbuh 419 said, "Your own CO, and he won't even listen to you, a member of his own team, 'cause he's too busy being picking a fight with his own side."

Trent tensed. "I'm not part of his team. You said it yourself."

Numbuh 522 shot Numbuh 419 a quick frown, then looked back to Trent. "I'm... sorry your time with Sector V was cut short like that. But these circumstances take priority. We need you on this with us."

"No problem. They don't need me anyhow."

"It wasn't just about that. New commandos are always assigned to Sectors, to get used to how the Kids Next Door works and everything. You showed more promise than most, so you were assigned to Sector V. That proved to be a good choice, as you were there to help uncover this whole mess. But we don't have the luxury of practicing in the security of our treehouses anymore. You passed the test you weren't suppose to have; that'll have to do. You're in the game now."

* * *

Trent and Numbuh 419 entered the bridge and made the walk across to their Supreme Leader, a walk Trent was becoming quite accustomed to. Numbuh 362 stood in an authoritative stance with her hands behind her back, flanked by Numbuh 86 on her right and Numbuh 60 on her left.

"Commandos," she said firmly as they reached her, "I understand you returned without any prisoners. What's your explanation?"

"The guilty party could not be apprehended," Numbuh 419 answered calmly, but with a noticeable amount of annoyance. Numbuh 86 looked as if she wanted to punch him for even speaking, but stayed in place.

"So Cuppa Joe escaped?" Rachel asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"No sir, ma'am. That's not what I said."

"What... explain yourself!"

Numbuh 419 looked over his shoulder at the bridge door as it opened, and Numbuh 522 stepped through. He marched across to them with purpose, causing a few operatives in his path to hastily step out of his way. He removed his shades as halted next to Numbuh 86, tucking them into one of his vest pockets, and nodded to her.

"Numbuh 86," He said with a courteous nod.

"Numbuh 522," She replied with a friendly voice which took Trent by complete surprise.

"Numbuh 522, what happened down there?"

"A lot. Here's what you need to know: Sticky Beard was a fraud and Cuppa Joe was framed. This whole thing has been a wild goose chase the whole time."

Rachel stared at him, her eyes wide in shock.

"Tell me everything."

The three commandos told her everything they knew so far. She was visibly shaken by their report. Fanny reached over and placed a supportive hand on her leader's shoulder, a concerned look on her face. Numbuh 60 clinched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth in rage that someone would dare endanger his teammates, his friends.

"So if our attack on Cuppa Joe was part of Forsaken's plan, why did his teenage minions ambush the Sectors we sent?"

"Because, Numbuh 60, they needed us to hit Cuppa as hard as possible," Numbuh 522 explained. "We were on a mission. He needed us to be on the warpath. Then Cuppa's inevitable violent retaliation, mixed with our belief that he wanted us all dead, would supposedly be enough for us to take him down hard enough that we couldn't ask questions."

"Why, though?" Numbuh 60 asked, crossing his arms. "What does Cuppa Joe have to do with anything?"

"He's the only person with the capability to effectively fight back, which is probably the only reason we made it back to tell you this."

"But, it looks like us _boys_ were too _stuuupid_ and messed up his little plan," Numbuh 419 said smugly in Fanny's direction. Her face turned red as she shot him death rays with her eyes, but she remained silent.

"So you're still in danger," Numbuh 522 resumed, as if his friend hadn't said anything at all, "and we know who _isn't_ behind it, but we're basically back to square one."

"So you've no idea who it could be?"

"No. But we're gonna find out. I asked Sector CA to use our satellites to locate Sticky Beard's ship. We're gonna pay him a little visit; find out what he knows, who contacted him."

"Sector CA?"

"Yes ma'am. I talked with Numbuh 37; they're gonna back us up for the rest of this operation."

"I... I understand and respect your decision, Numbuh 522. But what happened to Sector V? I was under the impression they were seeing this through."

The commandos stayed silent. Numbuh 522 looked back at Trent, who stood with his arms crossed.

"They've... stepped down."

"I see... well then, as I'm sure you've guessed, this is your show now."

The screen behind Rachel flickered on, and Numbuh 37 appeared on it. Everyone turned to face it.

_"Numbuh 362, sir!"_ the boy said loudly as he saluted. _"Numbuh 37! I have some important information for you and Numbuh 522!"_

Trent glanced over at Numbuh 522, who stepped up next to Rachel.

"Numbuh 522 here. Did you find them?"

_"Yes, sir! Well, kind of... we located their ship, and, well... take a look for yourself!"_

_Dang... he wasn't joking,_ Trent thought to himself as the image appeared on the screen. It was an overhead view of Sticky Beard's ship. The mast lay broken across the main deck, the superstructure was full of holes, the weather deck was completely trashed, and debris littered the area around the vessel.

_"We've been unable to locate the crew."_

No one knew what to say as they stared at the screen. Numbuh 37 closed the image and reappeared before them.

Trent's heart sank to its lowest point yet. He had no idea what they were to do from there. He looked over to his leader and his compatriots, but their blank expressions offered no reprieve.

_"So what do we do now?"_

Everyone turned to Rachel. She bowed her head a moment, then looked over to Numbuh 522. He reached into his vest pocket, removed his shades, and donned them once again.

"We're gonna go pay our friend Chad a visit."

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Sooo yeah, there that is. Like I said, it was a bit rushed, but I hope I didn't lose anyone there.**

**Appreciate the reads! Don't forget to review! Guests too!**

** - Marty**


	7. Returning Empty Handed

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

**If I did, it would break the record for the world's longest running TV Show.**

* * *

**_A/N_: Well, this took a little longer than I'd hoped, but here it is. I feel bad for rushing the last chapter, so I wanted to take my time and do better with this one, but it's pretty fast paced, so I guess I'll let y'all be the judge of whether I succeeded or not.**

**Before we begin, I wanna address a few things. 1) This takes place somewhere in early Season 3. 2) Yes, it's an AU. Instead of asking what's different, just assume everything is the same until you learn otherwise. But do keep in mind that everything that hasn't happened yet is subject to change. ;) 3) This is a kinda prologue to a series of KND fics I have planned. I'll give ya'll more details on that closer to the end of this.**

**Anywho, I won't keep you any longer. Get to it! Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Eric Cartman Forever, for being such an awesome reviewer from the start. Hopefully you'll approve of it. Thanks a bunch. :D**

**Oh, and don't ask what's up with this first part... I don't know.  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: RETURNING EMPTY HANDED  
**

* * *

_Kuki giggled wildly as Trent unfurled the umbrella over their heads. She stood close so as to avoid the raindrops falling from the sky, which were rapidly increasing in frequency. Before they knew it, their fresh overcast day collapsed into a sporadic autumn shower._

But this is ok, too, _Trent__ thought to himself as he looked down at his Japanese friend, who bent her knees enough for her head to come just below his chin as she gazed out at the downpour._

_She hugged herself with her arms and lightly pressed herself against him as the temperature dropped noticeably from the rain. He sensed that she was chilly, so he transferred the umbrella to his left hand, and moved to wrap his right arm around her. She seemed to feel his hand as it traversed across her back to the opposite shoulder, and turned with it, bringing herself nose to nose with him. He hadn't expected this, and could only think to stare into her violet eyes._

_The sounds of the pouring rain filled their ears: the beating on the umbrella above them, the splashing as puddles formed and deepened around them, the slapping on the sections of pavement and sidewalk yet to be submerged, the pulsating through the leaves of the nearby trees... It all mixed into a stunning soundtrack for a perfect moment in time. The percussion of the world itself, playing just for them._

_She smiled at him. A smile he'd seen many times before, yet could never tire of. A smile which warmed him in the midst of a cold, unforgiving rain._

_What could he do, but smile back..._

* * *

"'Ay! Numbuh 81, wake up!"

Trent jolted awake. He looked around for a moment as his reality sank back in. He was sitting in Sector CA's S.C.A.M.P.E.R., on his way to Gallagher Middle School to confront the infamous Chad, former Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, now traitor. Trent had never actually met Chad, but he knew their first meeting was going to be... less than pleasant.

He looked over at Numbuh 39, really looking at her for the first time. She had long brown hair, the style not unlike Kuki's, with a red headband and a cute face. Like the rest of her Sector, she wore a patriotic combat uniform: The midriff was white, and the arms and legs were red, and proudly presented a large red maple leaf on the back. She also wore white gloves, reaching halfway up her forearms, with red crosses on the back on her hands to represent her role as team medic.

"We're almost there, eh!"

Trent nodded, straightening up in his seat. He looked down at his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P., but couldn't concentrate on it.

_It seemed so real..._

"Alright, Numbuh 81," Numbuh 522 said, approaching him from the cockpit, "all commandos just got these sweet new sunglasses to replace our normal ones. They look like the ones soldiers wear in those desert pictures. And since you're officially legit now, you need to look the part, too."

Trent raised his head to face the boy, and found him standing there with his hand reaching out to him. He uncurled his fingers, and presented Trent with a black facemask and a pair of shades, just like his and Numbuh 419's. Trent stared at this offering for a moment, before looking up at the presenter. Numbuh 522 was grinning.

"Consider this your official induction."

Trent smiled, taking his new gear. He donned the facemask, which covered everything from his nose down (all the way around his head), then his shades. He slid out of his seat, and glanced over at Numbuh 39, who was beaming at him. His smile broadened, not that anyone could see his expression anymore.

"_Now_ I might believe you're a commando," Numbuh 419 joked from across the compartment.

"We're almost to the landing zone," Numbuh 37 announced from the front, where he stood next to the pilot. He was a tall boy will clean, well-groomed blonde hair, whose mature appearance demanded respect. "You sure you want us to stay behind?"

Numbuh 522 nodded. "I'm sure. But if we need you-"

"We'll be there before you can smack a puck."

"Heh, yeah. We'll be fine, man."

"Alright, then. Let's hope this goes smoothly, eh?"

Trent raised his hood over his head, completely concealing his identifiable features, and looked over at his comrades. They both raised their facemasks, once again becoming the faceless wardens they were known to be.

"That's a nice sentiment," Numbuh 419 said as he readied his S.P.I.C.E.R. "I don't believe in it."

* * *

The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. hadn't yet come to a complete stop before the three commandos leapt out the hatch. Numbuh 522 waved the transport off, and it lifted off again and flew out of sight.

They were in the center of the Gallagher Middle School football field, where the football team was supposed to be finishing up their practice game. Trent looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"They call off practice today?" Numbuh 419 asked, looking back at the other two.

"Doubt it," Trent said, looking over to the sideline. "There's a lotta trash over there. I'm guessing they just finished early."

"Good stuff, Numbuh 81," Numbuh 522 said approvingly. "We'd better head to the locker room. Maybe we can catch 'im before he leaves."

The trio sprinted over to the door leading into the gymnasium. Numbuh 522 raised his left hand and counted down from 3, 2, 1, and they burst in. A quick scan of the area showed it to be empty as well. Part of Trent's mind was screaming at him that he was heading into a trap, but he was trying to remain (cautiously) optimistic that they were legitimately catching Chad off-guard, especially since they were going in after the traitor regardless. Still, he kept watch behind them as they stalked their way over to the locker room.

They exited the gym into a hallway, in which the smell of stale sweat was somehow worse, and made their way down to the entrance of their destination. Numbuh 522 overshot the door a little and kept watch down the rest of the hallway while Numbuh 419 stepped up to the door. He raised his right earflap and pressed his head against the door. Trent, keeping watch down the hall behind them, glanced over his shoulder in time to see Numbuh 419 jump back from the door, as if it had shocked him.

The laughter of several guys grew louder and louder, until the door flew open. Five burly boys stepped out, each in normal clothes and with duffle bags thrown over their shoulders.

"Hey, Chad!" the lead boy shouted over his shoulder back into the locker room. "When-"

He stopped in his tracks, looking around. The other four looked at him with expressions of puzzlement, until he shook his head and looked back over his shoulder.

"Yo, when you comin' over later, Chad?"

"I donno," a familiar voice shouted from somewhere inside the locker room, "Around six o'clock?"

"Ha ha! Right on, dude!"

The five guys proceeded to talk about tomorrow's football game as they walked down the hallway to the exit. Trent watched them leave with a scowl as he and his comrades released their hold on the light fixtures and dropped down to the ground.

_Stupid meatheads._

At least they knew Chad was still in there. Hopefully he was the only one left, maybe just a few others. Trent wasn't expecting it to be that easy, but a guy can hope, right?

Numbuh 522 counted down with his fingers again, and the three burst through the door. The room was hot and steamy from a combination of sweaty bodies and hot showers, causing Trent's shades to fog a little, but he didn't let that distract him from the mission. He quickly cleared an aisle of lockers on the right side of the room, and emerged at the other end, which brought him just meters away from his target: Chad.

They were pretty lucky after all; there were only two other guys left in there with him, which Numbuh 419 already had at gunpoint.

"Well, well," Chad said, seemingly amused by their arrival. "Numbuh 419... _and_ Numbuh 522... Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

"Because you know why we're here," Numbuh 522 replied curtly.

"I do?" Chad replied in a voice saturated with faux innocence. "Surely I do not know what you are talking about!"

"Cut the crap, Chad!" Numbuh 419 snarled without looking away from his two hostages. "Who's your contact?!"

"I really don't know what you're talking about..."

"Your benefactor," Trent said threateningly. "Your dim-witted pals let it slip that you're working for someone. We've even met him. Swell guy. Didn't give us a name, though."

Chad's smirk disappeared as he looked over at Trent, the one he wasn't familiar with. Trent suddenly remembered that he wasn't displaying any sort of identifier. Not that it made a difference; even if he were, Chad wouldn't know him as Numbuh 81. And considering their less-than-friendly relationship when they were on the _same_ side, it was probably for the best that he remained anonymous here.

"Is that so?" Chad said slowly, keeping his eyes on Trent. "We teens do say the darndest things..."

The door to the locker room flew open. "Hey, Chad-!"

The teenage boy from before stood in the doorway, dumbfounded. Numbuh 522 whipped around to face him. He took a moment to process the sight before him, then clenched his fists and growled.

"You should never have come here."

The boy's four friends stepped in behind him, and all at once, the teenagers all engaged their Battle Ready Armor. Trent, who had let himself get sidetracked by their arrival, returned his eyes to Chad, who was also in his armor by now.

"GET 'EM!"

The two teens in front of Numbuh 419 charged. The first immediately received a blast to the chest. The second got close enough to throw a punch, but it was dodged effortlessly, and he was rewarded with a fist to the face for his attempt.

The five newcomers circled around Numbuh 522. Trent started to run to his aid, but had to throw himself to the ground to avoid Chad's swing. He rolled away from his foe and brought himself back up to his feet in one fluent motion. He raised his weapon and pulled the trigger, but Chad managed to slap the barrel away from him just in time for the shot to miss its mark. The teen followed this action by bringing his elbow down at the boy, hard, but wasn't fast enough to land the blow before Trent dropped himself down to the ground. Having lost his balance with his failed attack, Chad stumbled, giving Trent the perfect opportunity to plant his feet in his chest and send him flying back.

Trent leapt back upright and shot his eyes over at Numbuh 522. Three of the teens were on the ground, and Numbuh 419 had already jumped in the fight, so Trent turned his attention back to Chad as the teen pushed himself up off the ground. He was growling, his face turning pink with rage. Trent brought his weapon up to bear, waiting for his opponent to try to charge him again before firing.

To his surprise, Chad smirked, and made a break for the exit. He shoved Numbuh 419, who was preoccupied with the last teen standing, out of his way before he disappeared through the doorway. Trent growled under his breath as he gave chase.

Trent was a good five seconds behind Chad as he ran sprinted to the door at the end of the hallway, which led back outside. The teen exited first, and slammed the door shut behind him. A few seconds later, Trent used his shoulder to bash the door open, to preserve as much momentum as possible. It was a good idea, but his force betrayed him; as soon as he stepped outside, Chad clotheslined him, and he slammed into the ground, hard. Once again, Chad tried to follow up with a swift punch, but his fist only made contact with the ground. Trent slid to the side just enough to dodge the strike, and responded by sweeping Chad's feet out from underneath him. The teen fell, and Trent took the opportunity to recover back to a standing position.

_"YAAAH!"_ Chad bellowed furiously as he lunged up at Trent, this time managing to catch him by his collar. He knocked the B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. from Trent's grip, and threw him into the wall of the school. He stomped up to the commando and reached out to grab him, ready to deliver his next set of blows.

By now, Trent was positively brimming with adrenaline. He grabbed Chad's forearm before he could seize him, and shoved him away. He pounced, and landed a punch right in the stomach. Chad staggered back, clutching his abdomen. He glared up at Trent, then turned and resumed his retreat.

Trent snatched up his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. and pursued his adversary. He heard a crash behind him, and glanced back over his shoulder to see his companions smash through the doorway and join the chase.

His eyes locked onto Chad. He thought they were returning to the football field at first, but then they turned and headed for the parking lot. It was mostly empty, save for a number of cars that must have belonged to some late working teachers or the custodians. Chad headed to the center of it, then skidded to a halt and spun around to face his pursuers.

The trio spaced out a bit as they came to a stop, raising their weapons at the volatile turncoat.

"You ready to spill it, Chad?!" Trent asked, catching his breath. He knew it was wishful thinking, but it was worth a try.

"Ha!" The teen scoffed, crouching down into a fighting stance. "The only thing that's gonna get spilled here is your dignity, squirts! _All over the pavement!_"

_Ah well. I gave it a shot._

Trent braced himself for the next round of combat. He didn't understand how Chad expected to emerge victorious from a brawl with all three of them when he ran from Trent by himself. It didn't really make sense. It didn't...

By the time it registered in Trent's mind, Chad's plan was already in motion. He smiled maliciously as numerous Teen Ninja bikes pulled into the parking lot and circled around the group a few times. Trent frowned to himself as he scanned the new arrivals. He'd almost forgotten that they were in the heart of Teen Ninja territory. What teenager wouldn't love to beat the stuffing out of a group of kids who wandered so willingly into their province?

"I hope you brats didn't think you'd accomplish anything here today," Chad jeered as his cohorts closed in, with even more on the way. "Aside from _learning who's boss_, maybe!"

That was more than enough for the commandos to open fire. They dropped several of their aggressors before their firearms were rendered moot, and ditched them in favor of their fists. Trent tried to stick close to his companions, but was in a bad position to repel the three teens rushing at him.

So, he charged them, directing himself at the one on the left. They closed in on him, but were taken by surprise we he lunged at the right-most teen at the last second. Before the guy hit the ground, Trent had already slammed the second guy square in the jaw with his elbow. The two dropped, and he spun around to face the third guy, who began to take spastic swipes at him. He ducked under the first swipe, and took several steps back to avoid the subsequent strikes. He watched for the teen to throw himself off-balance with his uncoordinated attacks, and when he saw his chance, planted his fist right on the guy's nose.

The guy hit the ground in a fetal position, moaning to himself about how his nose was probably bleeding. Trent smirked, and turned to search out his next prey. He saw Numbuh 522 dodging numerous teens all at once, but he was only getting lucky with some of them. Trent reached into his hoodie, withdrawing a M.U.S.K.E.T. He raced over to Numbuh 522's aid, firing away.

A couple of the teens were already down by the time they realized the second commando was after them. A few turned from Numbuh 522 to confront this pest, which divided their strength enough for the pair to overcome them with relative ease.

Trent, again faced with three opponents, pounced on the guy in the center, grabbing onto his collar and repeatedly punching him in the face. The boy and girl on either side cried out in rage and lunged at him. Trent pushed off the boy's chest, and couldn't help but chuckle in satisfaction as the three collided and knocked themselves unconscious.

Trent took a moment to reassess the situation. Numbuh 522 was finishing up with his current scuffle, but had more closing in. Numbuh 419, who was trying to make his way to Chad, was on a rampage. At least half of the arriving teens went straight to him, and all received an absolute thrashing in return.

Still, they could only endure so much. Even if their "good" luck held, they'd wear out eventually; before the fight was over, from the looks of it.

A girl leapt at Trent seemingly out of nowhere, and he narrowly avoided her. She turned to try again, but received a M.U.S.K.E.T. blast to the chest instead. Another group rushed him, but Trent made short work of them with a mixture of his sidearm and his fist; a very effective combo. He looked over at Numbuh 522 to see him utilizing the same tactic.

Trent twisted around in search of Chad, only to find a sizeable crowd of teens in his way. He groaned to himself, beginning to notice how fatigued he was getting.

But this was no time for that.

He shook it off, and bent his knees as he prepared to charge. The entire crowd before him displayed confident, spiteful smirks, and he was set on wiping each and every one off their respective faces. It would be a challenge, but he was intent on seeing it through. So intent, that he didn't hear the sound of jet engines growing louder and louder, until a shadow cast over him.

He looked up to see a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. decelerate to a hover above the skirmish. The side hatch slid open, revealing a Kids Next Door popsicle stick machinegun turret (the exact name escaped him). It opened fire on the cluster of teens facing Trent, rapidly taking several out of the fight. The rest scattered, and the turret turned to engage the host of teens coming to join the fight.

Another group of three stepped between Trent and his target. He raised his M.U.S.K.E.T., but before he could fire, Numbuh 37, Numbuh 38 (who wore a red & white helmet that hid his facial features, except for his mouth), and Numbuh 39 descended from the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., each landing on a teen and proceeding to take them to the ground.

Numbuh 37 looked over to Trent from his quarrel. "Go! We'll handle these hosers!"

Trent nodded, and returned his attention to Chad, who seemed to be entertained by the encounter much like a Caesar entertained by a gladiator fight. He didn't seem to notice the straight shot Trent had at him.

_Perfect!_

With the arrival of their fire support, the oncoming hordes seemed to lessen. The battle was slowly coming to its conclusion. The Sector CA operatives on the ground were sticking close to each other, displaying exceptional teamwork. Numbuh 522 was starting to push his attackers back, and Numbuh 419 seemed to be having the time of his life.

Trent sprinted at Chad. Even if the teen saw him coming now, there was nothing he'd be able to do about it. The commando was focused and ready to counter any move he tried to make.

And that's why he was caught off-guard by the teenage girl who stepped in his path. His eyes grew wide as he tried to break his charge, but was unable to do so before catching a fist straight to the nose. The force of the blow was enough to send him staggering backward, falling to the ground when he was unable to steady himself.

He was too dizzy to think for a second, but quickly regained his composure. He jumped up to his feet and glared at the girl. She had her helmet on, but Trent could see the dark skin around her malevolent eyes. They both stood motionless, waiting to see if the other would speak or move first. Trent debated in his mind whether or not he should throw out a verbal challenge, but he figured it was unnecessary at this point.

But apparently, she didn't.

"Unless the next move you make is to run away crying," She said snidely, "you're gonna be in a worlda pain in a moment, kid!"

Trent held his ground, of course; he'd have been surprised, even insulted, if she expected their encounter to end without a fight.

_I'll have to let her know just how offended I am,_ Trent thought with a smirk, maintaining his gaze into her eyes. He could tell when someone was going to attack by his or her eyes; they always flashed a certain gleam just before. But as he stared in anticipation of this sign, he saw something else... something he recognized...

The girl ducked as a stream of popsicle sticks flew over her head. Trent heard her growl, and watched as she reached for something on her back. She brought to bear some sort of large firearm, which she needed to use both hands to support. She spun around, and aimed up at the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

_Wait, NO!_

Trent stepped forward to charge the girl, but it was too late.

She pulled the trigger. A red laser beam shot out, and hit the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. right on one its rear engines. Trent saw the turret gunner stumble and fall backward into the compartment as the transport began to spin out of control. He could only watch as it rapidly lost altitude and crashed into the ground.

The girl laughed darkly, discarding the weapon off to the side. She admired her work for a moment, before looking back at Trent, as if she'd forgotten he was there. He could still hear her chuckling as she turned to face him again.

He clinched his fists, almost crushing the grip of the M.U.S.K.E.T. in his hand.

"_You're gonna pay for that, teenager!_"

She chuckled again.

"Aww, whatsa matter?" she jeered in a condescending babying voice, "Don't worry... _they're lucky compared to you!_"

She lunged at Trent. He had enough space to take a shot, which he strongly considered, but he couldn't pass up the chance to take her down the hard way. And after what she'd just done, he was gonna make sure she went down as hard as possible.

He tossed his weapon aside and leapt to meet her in midair. The two clashed, grabbing each other and struggling for control over the other. The girl was stronger than he'd expected, but he still managed to get the upper hand; he pulled her in towards him just enough to loosen her footing, and chucked her over to the side.

The girl rolled when she hit the pavement and gracefully brought herself back up to her feet, and charged Trent without missing a beat.

_Not bad,_ Trent thought, admitting some respect for the girl's fighting prowess.

They clashed again, but this time Trent took a foot to the abdomen before he could gain an advantage. He stumbled backward, but managed to stay on his feet.

_Ah, this isn't gonna go anywhere good..._

He quickly scanned the ground around him, searching for his sidearm. He found it, but unfortunately he was separated from it by his feminine foe. His mind raced as he tried to plot a route to it. But he didn't have long to think before she was upon him again. He narrowly evaded her first punch, and then jumped up to avoid her sweeping kick. She followed up her horizontal attack with a solid open-palm shove while he was still airborne, and he flew back.

Somewhere in his mind, this was exactly what he was waiting for. He adjusted his form, transforming his short flight into a backward somersault, landing gracefully on his feet. He bent his knees upon landing, and then used that to leap forward at his opponent. She squat down into a fighting stance, bracing for his next assault. This was just what he'd hoped for. He dropped down to the ground and slid straight between her legs, gliding right past her.

She was taken aback by this unexpected move, and twisted around to see him grab his M.U.S.K.E.T. and aim it right at her. She growled, angry at herself for letting this little snot-nosed brat get the best of her like that.

Trent held the weapon in his right hand, saying nothing, just staring at her, as if daring her to move. She accepted this challenge, lunging yet again. This time, though, Trent knew better than to allow her that chance; he fired, and nailed her right in the forehead. The force of the blast caused her to cartwheel backward, and she came to rest face up on the ground in front of him.

He didn't move, keeping his sights trained on her. She remained inanimate for a moment, then started groaning. She slowly raised herself back up, holding her palm to her forehead and struggling to maintain her balance.

"Ugh... you... you're gonna...you're gonna regret that... kid..."

Her voice sounded different when it wasn't dripping with venom. It actually reminded him of-

_Wait..._

Trent froze. He knew why she seemed so familiar now. He _had_ seen those eyes before, and he _did_ know that voice!

The girl solidified her posture, shaking off the disorientation from the blast. She balled up her hands into tight fists as the fire returned to her eyes.

"Hmm," she grumbled, dropping her gaze down to her feet and rubbing the scorch mark on her helmet, "I don't think this dent's gonna do anything great for my complexion..."

Her helmet disassembled. Her black hair fell freely, resuming its usual appearance. It dangled over her face, obscuring it from Trent's view. But he already knew who it was.

"Numbuh 11...?"

Cree looked up, her angry expression mixed with one of puzzlement. She cocked her head a little to the left, trying to figure out who this boy could be that'd know her by that codename.

"That's not my name," she grumbled. "Who are you, anyway?"

Trent hesitated in answering her. But after a second, he slowly brought his free hand to his face, and removed his shades. He took his time stowing them inside his hoodie. Cree squinted slightly, her curiosity growing. He paused again, before reaching for his facemask.

"Wait..." She mumbled.

Trent wasn't sure if she recognized him yet, so he lowered his facemask under his chin.

"You..." Her expression was now one of complete surprise. "Trent Edison?"

He nodded. "Cree Lincoln. Abby told me about you. I didn't want to believe it... I expected better from you."

They were silent for a moment, before she seemed to remember what was going on.

"Things change, Trent," She said, the aggression returning to her voice. "And don't you _dare_ judge my actions because you think you know what's right!"

Trent was fighting a number of emotions as he faced off with his former advocate. He felt the return of the disappointment from when Abby first informed him of her betrayal. He was sad that she was now his enemy. He was enraged by her treachery. And yet, he was still happy to see her again. Guess he still needed some time to accept her changing of sides.

"You should've stayed away from the KND!" She chided angrily. "You would've been safe back home!"

Trent's eyes narrowed at her words. That last part sounded almost... apologetic? What in the world was going on?

"But it's too late now!" Chad barked as he walked up next to Cree. "You wanted so badly to be part of this game? Well, you're playing now! And you're gonna be sorry!"

Trent brought up his left hand to his weapon. He wanted both hands on his gun; his aim would need to be true to put both teens out of action in time if they tried anything. A hand-to-hand fight with Chad _and_ Cree... not a winning idea.

"You're a good shot, kid, but that ain't gonna help you now!"

Chad's threat was not entirely hollow. Trent glanced around them. With their fire support out of the action, the retreating teens turned around and resumed their advances on the KND operatives. There didn't seem to be anymore reinforcements entering the battle, but the teens-to-kid ratio was still far from encouraging. This fight was possible, but it was a long shot, and they'd be seriously hurting afterwards. But they'd have to deal with that then.

He glanced over at the downed dropship. The standing members of Sector CA were helping their two injured teammates from the wreckage. They set the two down against the hull, before drawing their weapons and turning to confront their opponents. Their expressions were tough and unwavering as they faced the odds. Trent silently regarded them with great respect, for even they must have realized the beating they were about to receive.

He glanced over to Numbuh 419 and Numbuh 522, who stood together. They looked to each other, nodded, and looked back to their foes.

_For a couple of 'independent operators', they sure do get along well,_ Trent observed. _I bet they've worked together a lot._

He turned back to Chad and Cree, who were smirking at him. They were smart; they knew they had the advantage. Heck, those two alone would pose a great challenge. But they probably weren't humoring the possibility of defeat, which meant they were conceited, which meant they were ignorant.

_Well, they're about to get educated.._

"Your move," Chad goaded. "Let's get this over with."

Trent was more than ready to end their standoff. He'd already accepted his impending injuries, so nothing was gonna hold him back.

"Alright, then," he said, raising his facemask and withdrawing his shades from his hoodie, "Don't expect any-!"

A faint whistling sound caught his ear, and he discontinued his taunt. It was growing louder in volume and lower in pitch, and drew most of the combatants' eyes to the sky. But not Trent's. He simply beamed at his opponents behind his mask, and donned his shades.

"Looks like the balance is shifting."

There was a series of loud crashes (five, to be exact) as D.R.O.P.P.U.H.-P.O.D.'s made landfall behind the commando. He fine-tuned his aim as he sensed a couple figures step up on either side of him.

"Figures," Cree said, her confident smile giving way to a surly scowl, "It was only a matter of time before you showed up, wasn't it?"

"You know it, sis," Abby replied from Trent's left. "Normally, we'd give you a chance to leave before this gets ugly, but we're gonna need you to hang around for a li'l while. Got a few questions for yah."

Cree laughed. "Well, little Abigail," she said sweetly, "I'd just _love_ to stay an' chat with you and your little friends, but I'm afraid I've gotta run!"

"Oh, no!" Trent growled before Abby could respond, "You're not going anywhere!"

Trent heard sounds of fighting break out, and looked around to see the rest of his comrades engaged in combat. Numbuh 419 and Wally were bulldozing through everything in their way, Numbuh 522 and Nigel were teaming up on every teen that came their way, and Hoagie was supporting the Sector CA operatives. This fight would be short-lived. Trent turned back to the teens facing him, though not before shooting a glance to his right, at Kuki. She glared at their opponents with determination.

"Screw this," Cree cried, nudging Chad. He grimaced at her, but nodded in understanding.

The two yelled out in anger and charged the kids opposing them. Trent fired his M.U.S.K.E.T., but missed; his aim went awry when he looked away from them. He growled at himself for his thoughtlessness, and braced for their attack.

Cree went for her sister, while Chad came at the commando. Trent jumped to the right to avoid the teen's punch, but Chad followed it up by sweeping his arm out, hitting the commando right in the chest. This took him by surprise as it knocked him backward. He tried to keep upright, but unfortunately stumbled right into Kuki, and the two fell to the ground.

Trent rolled to the side and pushed himself up, only to see the two teens leaping into the back of a van. Cree chuckled and gave them a mock salute, before the van sped out of the parking lot. Several of the operatives fired off shots at it, but it was too late.

"Drat!" Nigel bellowed from somewhere behind Trent. "We were so _close!_"

Trent shared the bald operative's sentiment, but didn't say anything. That last moment happened so quickly, he was still processing it. He was so concentrated on winning the fight that he hadn't considered their options for escaping. A lesson learned, sure, but that was a lesson he didn't know if they could afford.

"Ugh..."

The commando twisted around. Kuki was rubbing her head as she sat up, groaning quietly.

His anger subsided, replaced by concern.

"Numbuh 3! Are you alright?" He stepped over to her side and knelt down next to her. He moved to place a supportive hand on her back, but hesitated before touching her.

_She probably doesn't want me to... probably isn't happy with me..._

The young girl looked up at him. A small smile started to appear on her face, but she seemed almost distracted.

"Yeah," she answered quietly, "I'm ok."

Trent was puzzled for a moment, before remembering his hood, shades and facemask. He didn't look like a normal operative anymore; he looked like another anonymous commando. Her expression just served as another reminder of the rift between himself and the Sector.

"What about you?"

He didn't realize the question was directed at him for a moment. But her eyes were still on him. Then it clicked in his head.

"Huh?"

Well, kinda.

"Are you ok?" She asked again, sounding genuinely concerned.

Trent didn't understand. Why did she care? He wasn't one of them. And plus, they last time they met, they... okay, _he_... didn't exactly leave on good terms. Why would she even want to talk to him again?

"Numbuh 81?"

_Gah, I GOTTA stop zoning out while people are talking to me..._

"Yeah... I'm okay," He answered her. They just kept looking at each other, and he was starting to feel uncomfortable, so he offered her a hand.

She thanked him as she took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. He didn't want another awkward silence, so he turned away and joined the others as they gathered around the downed S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Abby and Numbuh 39 were checking the two injured Sector CA operatives, who thankfully didn't seem to be too hurt, just a little shaken.

"Yo, Numbuh 81!" Numbuh 419 called out when he noticed him standing there. "You good?"

"Yeah," Trent replied, watching Kuki through his shades as she joined the other girls in tending to the crash victims. "I'm good."

"Sweet," Numbuh 522 replied, though his voice was somber. He turned to Nigel, who was already facing him. "Numbuh 1, glad you could make it. It'd be a pleasant surprise, if I were surprised."

"You were expecting us?" Nigel asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Yep. Well, kinda. I knew y'all would show back up eventually. You do have a record for not leaving things unresolved."

Nigel raised an eyebrow, staring at the commando over his glasses. After a moment, he recognized the compliment, and let a friendly smile spread across his face.

"I see. Glad we could be of service. Though I wish we could've gotten here sooner."

"Ah, no worries!" Numbuh 37 said, "We're all just ducky. Though I hope you've got us a ride outta here."

Right on time, the Sector V S.C.A.M.P.E.R. flew up, and autonomously touched down next to the group.

"Everyone in!" Numbuh 2 called as he boarded it and plopped down in the pilot's chair. "Let's get outta here before anything else exciting happens!"

"Sounds good to me," Numbuh 522 said, "Let's get up to Moonbase. I'll debrief everyone at once."

* * *

"How are Numbuh 40 and Numbuh 50?"

"They're fine, Miss Supreme Leader, ma'am, sir! They're already in the medical ward."

The Sector leaders and commandos stood assembled in front of Rachel and Fanny. They were still tattered from the fight, but stood firmly nonetheless. Numbuh 522 had already caught everyone up with the earlier events, now Rachel was assessing everyone's condition.

"Glad to hear it, Numbuh 37. Unless you have anything further, you're dismissed."

The blonde saluted his leader, turned, gave his comrades a reassuring nod, and departed the bridge.

"So what now?" Nigel asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"I don't know," Rachel said frankly, "It depends."

"Is Sector V done throwing a tantrum?"

Nigel looked over at Numbuh 419, as if he wanted to tell him off, but kept his cool.

"I... I'm sorry about that," he apologized. "My team never wanted to leave the case. I let my foolishness get the better of me."

Numbuh 522 and Numbuh 419 exchanged glances, then looked back at Nigel, grinning (commandos almost always wore their shades, but usually had their facemasks lowered when not on missions).

"Don't worry about it," Numbuh 522 said lightheartedly. "Like I said, I knew you'd come back."

Trent stared at Numbuh 522, wondering how he could've been so sure of something like that. And even then, what difference did it make? Like he had said before, as long as they had a Sector supporting them, it didn't matter which one. Why worry about relations with a Sector when they're just going to go back to their own thing after the operation anyway? Commandos' relationships with the Sectors were purely professional, right? That must've been what Numbuh 419 meant. Plus that would explain the Sectors' previous disregard for them.

"But back to business," Numbuh 522 continued, snapping Trent out of his thoughts. "The mission was a failure. Chad got away before we could get any answers. He's on the alert now; we won't have another chance. We blew it."

"Numbuh 522," Rachel said sympathetically, "it's okay, really. At least we know he's involved. The mission wasn't a _total_ failure..."

"Are you serious?" the commando retorted angrily, the first time Trent had heard him do so at another operative. "All we did was get Sector CA hurt, and now they're outta the fight for the next few days!"

"Dude," Numbuh 419 cut in, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "That's not our fault. That was all the teenagers' doing."

_Numbuh 419 being supportive? Or at least trying to be? I really don't know anyone here very well, do I? _

Numbuh 522 frowned with disagreement, but chose not to argue. He crossed his arms and looked back to Rachel.

"We're out of leads."

The group reveled in the uncomfortable silence that followed the truth. Everyone looked at one another, as if hoping one of them secretly held the answer. But alas, the solution was nowhere to be seen.

Trent pondered everything, thinking that perhaps, maybe, there was a clue somewhere they simply hadn't realized. Maybe a detail that seemed insignificant. Or maybe...

No. Nothing. There was nothing. He was at a loss. There were no signs there for him to follow, no clues to uncover. This wasn't a puzzle, it was a scavenger hunt, only without a list.

Rachel turned and slowly walked over to her command console. Trent watched her stand there, looking up at the blank screens, like paintings in a museum. She stood there for a long minute. He wondered if he should say something.

She balled up her fists, and started shaking a little. "RAH!" She yelled out, and slammed her fists down on the console. Whether it was in frustration, or fear, or... whatever. Trent wasn't sure. But this case was definitely getting to her. Not that he could blame her; it was getting to him as well... more than he cared to admit. But this wasn't the time to admit anything. Not fear, not this feeling of helplessness, and definitely not defeat.

Trent had realized something as he reflected on the last few days. So much had happened in that time, the likes of which he'd never dealt with anything close to before. And in that time, he'd gotten so caught up in the case he'd started to lose track of his priorities. He'd allowed himself to come before those he fought to defend, and he was bitterer than ever before. Before the KND, he'd been looked up to by the kids around him, by those he fought for and his comrades alike. Because he was always there when they needed him.

And right now, they needed him. More than ever before.

He walked up to Rachel, and placed his hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly when he touched her. She turned her head and looked at him, or at least her reflection in his shades. He smiled, and held it until she did the same.

"We'll get this figured out," he said, his voice calm and soothing. "No one else is gonna get hurt."

Her smile widened for a second, then waned again. "I wish I could believe that, Numbuh 81..." She looked away from him and drooped her head. "That no one else will get hurt. But that doesn't seem very likely right now..."

Trent wanted nothing more in that moment than to make her feel better, but he knew she was right. Since words failed him, and simply squeezed her shoulder, drawing her eyes back to him. He was still smiling at her.

"You'll be ok, Rachel. So will everyone else. I'd bet my life on that."

She tried to smile. "I'd really rather no one make that kind of wager..."

Trent involuntarily hesitated at her words, but maintained his warm, confident smile.

"That's how sure of this I am."

He wasn't very good with words, but his point got through. She beamed at him, then straightened herself up, and spun around to face the other operatives assembled before her. Her gaze glided across them, ending up back at Trent.

"Thank you," she whispered. He simply nodded in return.

Maybe he had to accept some circumstances... but that didn't mean he had to change.

"So what are your orders?" Nigel asked.

She thought for a moment. "Well, since we don't know our next move, we'll just prepare for it as best we can! Since they're back on the case, I want all of you to return with Sector V to their treehouse; you'll arm up and get everything ready there. Plus you'll able to deploy faster from there anyway."

The girl was suddenly full of confidence and enthusiasm, just like she always had been before. Trent wasn't sure how much of it was because of him, but he was glad to see it regardless. Sometimes the little things really do go a long way.

"I'll have Sector CA on standby, once they're all back to full duty." She examined them again, and nodded, seeming very pleased with herself. "We'll see this through, and we'll do it together. Dismissed!"

Everyone saluted, and turned to leave. Everyone except Numbuh 522.

"Numbuh 522? Is there something else?"

"Yes ma'am. I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Do you suspect Numbuh 08 at all?"

Trent stopped, intrigued by his comrade's question. He stayed facing the bridge door as he listened in.

"Numbuh 08? I... no. I don't."

"Have you honestly thought about it? He despises us. Ever since... you know..."

"_I_ do. But _you_ shouldn't; you only know because you were part of the cleanup crew!"

"I'm well aware, ma'am. But anywho, I know his project has absolutely nothing to do with super-candy-powers or anything, but he _does_ have access to a lot of... unaccounted-for resources..."

"Look, I know he... he wouldn't be above doing something like that. But he's under constant surveillance on one of our deep sea research stations. He's never alone there. There's no way he's capable of this! Trust me, I've made sure of that!"

"I do trust you, Rachel. I trust that you're telling me the truth to the best of your knowledge. But... I still don't like it. I'd like to go check him out for myself."

"No, Numbuh 522. You're being paranoid. I need you to go with Sector V and the others."

"Nothing wrong with paranoia in a time like this."

She sighed. "You aren't gonna give this up, are you?"

"Nope."

"Alright, what if I go and personally inspect him myself? Will that make you feel better?"

"I'd rather do it myself.."

"I told you, I need you with the others! Please don't argue with me on this!"

"...fine."

"Good. I'll head down for a surprise inspection tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I get back, okay?"

"Word. Just be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry about me."

"Gotta, ma'am. It's my job."

The conversation ended, and Trent continued to the exit, not letting on that he'd heard them.

* * *

So there he was, on his way back to the Sector V treehouse. It had only been a couple of days, but Trent felt like he hadn't been there in forever. He was almost relieved to be returning, but he was stressing out over everything that had happened. Specifically, his departing from them back in South America. He knew he had good reason to do so, but couldn't quite convince himself that he did it for the _right_ reason. Yeah, he needed to pursue the case, but he couldn't deny his disagreement with Nigel was at the head of his list at the time.

_These guys are very loyal to him. As they should be. But I didn't just walk away from him, I defied him. They probably hate me..._

"Numbuh 81?"

Trent looked up to see Nigel standing before him.

"N-Numbuh 1?" He sputtered, surprised. "What can I do for you?"

Nigel got right to his point. "You can start… by forgiving me."

"Um... come again?"

"I was a total jerk before. I feel like I drove you away from my team. I understand why you left, and I applaud you. You did the right thing."

_Can this guy read my mind or something?_

"Look, I don't know how long we're gonna be at the treehouse this time. But I just want you to know, everything we said when we all first met was true: our treehouse is your treehouse. After this is all over, you're welcome over anytime you wish. Consider it your home away from home."

Trent was still shocked by the Brit's words, but still felt a warm sense of relief flow through him.

"Th-thank you, Numbuh 1," he said, standing up before him. "That means a lot. It really does."

_Maybe I was wrong about the Sectors..._

Nigel smiled, and extended his hand. Trent returned the smile, and shook his hand.

Maybe things will be alright after all.

* * *

_**A/N**_**:**** I'm sorry if that last part kinda sucked, I admit I wasn't totally sure what to do with it.  
**

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please review and lemme know what you think. Feedback makes me happy. :D  
**

**- Marty  
**


	8. Through The Eye (Part 1)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Heyy all, sorry for the long wait for a shorter chapter. I've been super busy since the last chapter; for a li'l taste, if I hadn't uploaded that one when I did, it wouldn't have been updated until about a week and a half later. So I am glad that didn't happen. But still, I haven't had much time to write the last couple of weeks, and my Christmas story (Operation: S.E.C.R.E.T.S.A.N.T.A.) had kinda taken priority, due to my determination to stay true to my self-assigned December deadline. I'm not postponing this story, but it may be a little slower updating for the next couple of months. So, sorry about that. I do appreciate y'alls attention and patience, I hope I haven't disappointed anyone. **

**On another note, I decided to try and incorporate more dialect, starting in this chapter (this story's a testing ground for me, remember?). There's not much in this chapter, but hopefully I don't go over the top. Lemme know in your review, OK? You are planning on reviewing... right? :P **

**To my reviewers:**

**- natalie1668 – I'm glad you liked it. lol Thanks a lot! **

**- Eric Cartman Forever – 'Twas my pleasure; it's about time someone did. Thank _you_ for the support, and I'm glad you think so!**

**- FrittzyCrazy – Thanks, appreciate it. Here yah go. :D**

**- KNDFANGIRL – Dang, you really break things down in your reviews, don't you? Awesome feedback, I really appreciate it. I think you'll like some of the things I have planned for the rest of this story. ;)**

**Again, thanks to everyone for reading this. Please enjoy and review, though at the very least enjoy. :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: THROUGH THE EYE... (Part 1)**

* * *

Trent awoke with a start. His eyes flew open, and he leapt out of his bed, swiping the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. from under his pillow. He was disoriented from his sudden awakening, but did his best to concentrate on scanning his surroundings.

_I'm... back... here?_

He lowered his weapon, and squeezed his eyes shut, allowing himself a moment to let his mind wake up as well.

_Wow. I must've been having one heck of a dream... too bad I don't remember what it was..._

His nerves settled and now completely awake, he opened his eyes, and gave his surroundings another chance. He was back in his room in the Sector V treehouse. All the lights were out, but his eyes were adjusted to the darkness. The illumination from the moonlight through his window wall really helped, too. It couldn't have been too far from daybreak; Trent could see vague hints of orange on the horizon.

_Well, since it's almost morning, and I'm definitely not going back to sleep, may as well get some breakfast!_

The beating of his heart returned back to normal as he concealed the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. back under his pillow.

_I need to remember to mod that later... Lily's S.P.W.A.N.K.E.R. model packs a MUCH harder punch..._

He changed out of his pajamas and into his regular hoodie and jeans. He finished tying his shoes and looked over at his nightstand. There sat his facemask and shades: his commando insignia. Definitely didn't have those the last time he was there. He picked them up, and held them in the palm of his hand, staring at them. After a moment, he sighed quietly, and donned them both, keeping the facemask lowered.

He quietly stalked over to his door. He shot a glance over at his sofa, where Numbuh 522 and Numbuh 419 had fallen asleep on either end of it. They were offered spare bedding, but they insisted the couch was more than enough. One of them was snoring, though Trent couldn't tell which. _Probably Numbuh 419,_ he thought with a smirk.

He exited his room, and made his way to the kitchen. The treehouse was dark, but he had no trouble navigating it. Before long, he reached his destination. He flipped on the lights, grabbed a bowl, a spoon, milk, and the obligatory box of Rainbow Munchies. What was it about that stuff that was so addicting? Probably the surplus of sugar per serving. And the plethora of marshmallows. That was always a plus.

He set everything down at the end of the table. He couldn't help but notice how unnecessarily large the table was for a place that rarely had visitors. The entire sector could probably being their families in to eat and have more than enough room. Maybe it had another purpose, like a huge workbench or platform for something, but he couldn't imagine what.

Trent pondered the size and practicality of the table for some time. He finished his bowl of Rainbow Munchies, but he had a metabolism like a blast furnace; it would take more than that to fill him up. So he poured another.

A loud yawn from the other room drew his eyes to the doorway. He took another bite of cereal and watched a drowsy Hoagie Gilligan enter the room, smacking his lips.

"Mornin'," the round boy greeted. Trent didn't reply immediately, not wanting to be rude and speak with a mouthful of cereal.

"Mornin' Numbuh 2."

Hoagie sat down next to him with his own bowl and spoon. Trent handed him the cereal box, and he took it, muttering what Trent assumed to be some sort of thanks.

They sat in silence. Hoagie didn't seem to be thinking about much. But in Trent's head, he was fumbling every thought. Nigel had assured him that everything was ok between the commando and his team, but Trent was still unsure. He needed to talk with them himself before he was convinced.

_Well, I've got Hoagie right here, may as well get started on that.._

"So, Numbuh 81," Hoagie said, causing Trent to almost choke on his current bite of cereal in surprise. So much for being the first to speak. "Are you mad? At us?"

"I... uhhh..." Trent was speechless. Was _he_ mad at _them_? Wasn't this whole thing supposed to be the other way around? This didn't make sense. "Uh... about what?"

"You know..." Hoagie's eyes dropped down to his bowl. "For leaving you. Back in South America."

_Am _I_ mad at _them_ for leaving _me_? What the heck is he goin' on about?_

"For leaving me?" Trent repeated, still unable to think of an actual response.

"Yeah... Look, Numbuh 1... _knows_... your two friends. When you saw Numbuh 419 'introducing' himself in the junkyard, I guess that was because neither one wanted to acknowledge that they've met before."

Trent squinted at the boy as he thought back to his first moments with the other commandos. That _did_ explain Numbuh 419's immediate hostility (assuming he wasn't just a jerk anyways), and Numbuh 522's lack of any introduction at all. "That's... uh... W-what happened?"

"One of Numbuh 1's old buddies worked with Numbuh 419 on a mission a long time ago. Apparently they started out fine, but ended up butting heads about something, and it just kept getting worse from there. He never told me the details, but I'm guessing it was pretty bad..."

"'Never told you the details'? You weren't there?"

"Nah. It was a top secret mission; we didn't even know she was on it until after they came back. But when they did, Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 522 had to break 'em up. Numbuh 1 took her side, while Numbuh 522 took Numbuh 419's. Like I said, I donno what happened, just that when Numbuh 1 returned to the treehouse, he was _mad_. Like, _livid_. And he's never forgiven your two friends."

Trent listened to the boy intently. What he was saying made sense. He felt kind of dumb, as it hadn't occurred to him that they could've known each other beforehand. He hadn't had any reason to think so, but he figured he should've at least humored the possibility. Then again, what difference did it make at this point? They were some of the most professional operatives in the Kids Next Door, none of them would let their past disagreements affect their doing their jobs. Right? ...right?

"So he doesn't have a thing against all commandos, just those two?"

"Hard to say. I'm not sure if he's met any others. There aren't a lot of you, yah know."

"Hm. So who was this friend he was helping out?"

"You're better off not knowing. Numbuh 1 never told us, and we never asked... but I know who it is. Trust me, just don't worry about it. It's old history; what's done is done. They're not even friends anymore. She doesn't like any..." Hoagie paused. "...let's talk about something else."

Trent wanted to investigate further, but knew it was a bad idea.

"So," Hoagie continued, "I know commandos tend to use their own 2x4 technology. I know I told you before that I fix stuff, but I invent stuff, too."

A small smile formed on Trent's face as his interest was piqued. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like all kindsa stuff! C'mon, I'll show ya!"

* * *

Trent followed his rotund companion to the hangar, then up some stairs on the back wall into a long room with several machines along the left wall and a workbench in front of them on the right side. Hoagie led him over to the workbench, which had numerous layers of blueprints lying across it. Trent examined the one on top; it looked like some sort of backpack.

"What's this?"

"My latest project!" Hoagie answered proudly, "The B.O.M.B.P.A.C.K.!"

Trent noticed the acronym along the side of the paper as Hoagie spoke. **B**unch **O**f **M**elting **B**lasts **P**rovide **A**bsolutely **C**rushing **K**onsequences.

"Sounds like it should be pretty powerful," Trent said, eying the design with great interest. "_If_ it lives up to the name, of course."

"Oh, it will be," Hoagie said confidently. "And it will. It'll use the hottest peppers in the world! This baby will be able to melt through almost anything! And the blast radius will be the largest of any handheld KND explosive to date!"

Trent smirked with approval. "The design looks pretty solid. Do you have a working prototype yet?"

Hoagie shook his head. "Not yet. I only drew this up a couple days ago, when we got back to the treehouse after South America. I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up and worked on some things."

The air tensed at the mention of the falling out between the commandos and Sector V. The two stayed quiet, concentrating on the sketches before them instead of dwelling on the past conflict. Trent did his best to give the B.O.M.B.P.A.C.K. his undivided attention, not wanting to revisit that topic.

"Why are you using a milk-based detonation mechanism?"

"Because the time it takes for it to run through, from the trigger to the actual ignition, is the countdown until it goes off. Otherwise it'd detonate immediately. And I can't do that because there's no room for a remote detonator."

"I get that. But if you use a horseradish-based system, you can get a longer countdown in less space. That way you could pack in more explosiveness, or maybe a remote." His statement caused Hoagie's eyes to widen; he apparently hadn't thought of that, though that was obvious, since it wasn't in the blueprint. "Besides, the milk would just counter the spiciness. The horseradish will _add_ to it. And on that note, I'd replace the ballpoint pen ignition trigger with a toothpick system. That way, if there's a malfunction, the toothpicks will still get soggy, and the detonation will only be delayed instead of disabled."

Hoagie's mouth hung open slightly as he stared at his design, pondering Trent's words. After a moment, he grabbed a blank roll of paper and a pencil, and got to work drawing up a new model.

"_Fantastic_ ideas, Numbuh 81!" He said as he scribbled excitedly. "You really know your stuff!"

"Eh," Trent muttered, doing his best to shrug off the compliment. "I only work with weapons, really." He wanted to tell Hoagie about his pre-KND days, about how he and his rebellious followers used to dissect and modify KND equipment, but hesitated. Their secretive habits about their gear was primarily due to the distrust between them and Numbuh 274, and though that wasn't an issue anymore, he couldn't help but feel that their covert operations should remain undisclosed; they still received supplies from the KND, more than before, and they still worked with said supplied just the same.

"Well, you do great work! I can't wait to get the first prototype built! Hey, I actually have these other blueprints you should check out..."

* * *

The two boys discussed numerous things over the next couple of hours. Hoagie had shown Trent his ideas for several new firearms, including a pretzel stick machinegun, a shoulder-mounted salt-rocket launcher, a laser sniper, and what looked to Trent like a mix between a M.U.S.K.E.T. and a B.O.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. The commando had given some small pointers on how to improve the designs, which thrilled Hoagie. Trent didn't notice, but the round boy was quite impressed. In return, Hoagie had taught him some about the basic functions of 2x4 aircraft, particularly the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. and the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H. Eventually, the conversation somehow shifted to Hoagie rambling on about what Yipper was and why it was the best thing since Rainbow Monkeys.

"I'll teach you how to play the card game sometime!" Hoagie said, setting down a Yipper comic book he'd procured from somewhere a few minutes before. He was sitting down on the bench in front of his drawing board, and Trent was leaning back on the wall opposite him.

"Ha, alright. I think-"

"Oi!"

Their gazes shot over to the origin of the voice. There, in the doorway, stood Wally with his arms crossed.

"Hey, Numbuh 4," Hoagie greeted. "What's up?"

"You still owe me that quartah, that's what!"

Hoagie groaned and looked up at the ceiling. "Really? You're _still_ hung up on that?"

"You betcha! Now cough it up!"

Hoagie grumbled to himself, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a quarter. He flicked it over to Wally, who caught in his hand.

"That's bettah!" The Aussie said, grinning in satisfaction. He noticed the commando standing opposite the pilot. "Hey, Numbuh 81! I'm about to start some close combat trainin'. You should join me!"

Not wanting to be impolite and leave in the middle of a conversation, Trent glanced over at Hoagie, who nodded as if to say _Whatever you wanna do, man_. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Trent stood with his arms crossed in the center of the boxing ring in Wally's room, looking around as he waited for the blonde boy to finish fiddling with an android-like training robot in the corner. It was clear the boy took his fitness seriously; the room contained numerous weights and workout equipment. Trent wouldn't have been surprised if he had a secret stash or two of weapons somewhere.

_How was this boy not a commando?_

"Stupid, cruddy robot," Wally muttered, climbing up the robot's back to reach some on the back of its head. "I swear, I'm gonna go berko just tryin' to get it to work..."

Trent would've offered to help, but he knew nothing about the robot. But then he had a thought. "Is it on?"

Wally froze. Then, he slowly slid down to the floor, and, without looking at Trent, walked to the opposite side of the ring. He opened up a control panel, and pressed series of buttons. The robot sprung to life, straightening up and emitting a quiet buzzing noise. A green light bulb on the top of its head illuminated brightly.

_Aaand that'd be why,_ Trent thought. He looked over at Wally as he came up next to him. The Aussie refused to make eye contact. Trent smirked.

"Don't... say... anything," Wally threatened quietly. Trent's smirked widened, but he honored the blonde's wishes.

"So, who's first?"

Wally grinned menacingly. "I'll take the first whack at it."

Trent nodded, stepping back until he felt his back hit the fencing at the edge of the ring.

Wally squat down into a fighting stance. The robot mirrored this move, the light on its head changing from green to red.

"Alright," Wally said, clinching his fists, "Time to take-"

He was cut off but a loud _Whirr_, followed by the robot's arms falling off. It looked down at either of its arms, shrugged, and then fell into a heap of scrap metal, the light bulb flickering out in a fittingly surreal manner.

"Aww, _crud!_" Wally cried in exasperation. "That was the last one! Now what am I gonna do?"

"Well, I'm still here."

Wally spun around to face Trent, who was smirking at him daringly. "You seemed eager for a fight when we met. But are you up to it?"

Wally took a moment to process the challenge, but smiled broadly once it clicked. Trent's smirk widened just as Wally's did. He didn't need to wait for a verbal acceptance to know the fight was on.

Trent took a few steps toward Wally, then stood still. He wasn't one to make the first move in these one-on-one fights. Fortunately, his opponent was a hardheaded little bloke who favored quite the opposite strategy.

"Hi-_yah!_" Wally lunged at Trent, who sidestepped and avoided the attack with ease. But the boy was not to be discouraged; he twisted around, sweeping at his opponent with a strong kick. It missed, but just barely. "Ha! I knew you'd be able to put up a good fight!"

"Ha, I haven't even started to fight yet!"

Trent dodged Wally's next strike and rolled over to the center of the ring, allowing himself more room on all angles. Wally turned, smirked with satisfaction, and came at him again.

"C'mon, Numbuh 4, Numbuh 3 can put up a better challenge than this!" Trent jested. Their brawl had a friendly hostility to it, not unlike when they played video games together. The trash talk was inevitable.

"Hey! She can hit pretty hard when she wants to!"

Trent laughed as he continued to dodge blows, occasionally responding with one of his own. Neither boy was landing a hit, but they were both having a blast.

"Not sure I believe that. I think you're just a pansy."

"Is that right? Well, does a pansy hit this hard?"

"Donno, you haven't actually hit me yet."

"Gimme a sec, I'm workin' on that."

"Right. At any rate, you're the only one Numbuh 3 seems to hit, so that's all on you."

"Not true! She hit Numbuh 2 in the face with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. once! And so did I! It was pretty funny!"

"Really? Why'd y'all do that?"

"He said a guy that liked her had weird taste in girls."

"Ha! Wait, so why'd _you_ hit him?"

"...no reason. Just thought I'd have her back was all."

"Have her back... then what, yell at her afterwards for being stupid? That's what you do, right?"

"What?" Wally stepped away from the fight for a moment, eyeing him with curiosity. Trent hardly noticed, and continued his attack.

"I don't get you, Numbuh 4. Why do you get on her case like that? Like back in the medical ward on Moonbase: she was injured on a mission, and it _wasn't her fault_, yet all you can think to do is lecture her about being more careful?"

"Hey!" Wally cried as he narrowly dodged a kick to the chest. "She's always bein' careless! We're all fighting against some teens or somethin', and she's skippin' around in front of 'em, pickin' flowers and singin' stupid girly songs to herself and just not payin' attention! It's not my fault she's off in her own little world while the rest of us are tryin' to keep her from gettin' hurt in the real one!"

"That's just the way she is," Trent said, now throwing just as many punches as he was dodging. This one-on-one brawl was slowly shying away from the friendliness and emphasizing the hostility. "She's not as bad as you make her out to be, though. I think you just don't like her because of how girly she is. She's the complete opposite of _you_. I just can't figure out why you dislike her for it."

"_I don't dislike her!_" Wally cried, landing the first punch of the fight right into Trent's cheek, causing him to stumble back a few steps. "Kuki's my friend!"

"Coulda fooled me," Trent said lowly, before resuming his offensive. "I can understand sometimes gettin' frustrated at her airheadedness. But she's a great kid. A great friend. If you were a good one yourself, you might get that!"

"You sayin' I'm a bad friend to her?! Why do you care so much, anyway?"

Trent dodged a swipe, then landed a particularly fierce kick into Wally's chest. The Aussie fell back, the combination of the blow itself mixed with his surprise sending him off-balance.

"I'm sayin'... yeah, that's what I'm sayin'. I don't wanna see you being mean to her again."

Wally grunted as he leapt back up to his feet. He clearly wanted to say something, but was struggling with how to say it, or maybe even what exactly he wanted to say. Trent was expecting him to defend his treatment to Kuki, but he remained silent, aside from his panting. And his eyes...

_Wait, they look... sad?_

Trent raised a brow at his opponent. Going off of past experience, he was willing to bet there was something he didn't know here. He thought back to Abby's little talk with him the other day, and tried to piece the mystery together... but he didn't get it. Had Kuki done something to Wally that he couldn't forgive her for? What could Kuki have possibly done to deserve such negativity from him? Nothing Trent could think of...

"Look, Trent..." Wally said, his voice low and talking slowly. "I know you've only seen me bein' mean to her. And I am sometimes, I admit it. But Kuki... she means a lot to me. We are friends, I swear to you."

Trent remained in his fighting stance, but thought hard about what Wally had just told him. He'd been concentrating on figuring out why Wally disliked Kuki; he hadn't even considered that maybe he didn't. Wally was an aggressive boy who didn't deal with his emotions well... maybe he just didn't know how to express his concerns.

_Boy, was I off..._

He then remembered the night he talked with Kuki, the night before they left to attack Cuppa Joe and got ambushed. He'd told her that Wally meant no offense; that he did care, he just wasn't the greatest with communication.

_Wow... so I've known the truth all along... he _does _care about her... I even said it myself... I guess I was just too focused on comforting Kuki that I wasn't really paying attention to my own words..._

He slowly straightened up, abandoning his aggressive posture. Wally tilted his head downward just enough to hide his eyes under his hair. Trent felt a combination of guilt and stupidity wash over him. And in the silence of the moment, now no longer concentrating on hurting his opponent, he became more aware of his surroundings, and his condition: his skin was moist with sweat, and his cheek hurt and was very warm to the touch. Wally had broken a sweat as well, but appeared to have already recovered from the blow he'd received.

"Wally... I... I'm sorry... I-I didn't even think..."

Wally looked back up to him. His eyes no longer divulged his emotions, and he just stared at Trent. He shrugged.

"It's alright, mate. After what happened a few days ago, I don't blame you for being angry with me," He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. The fight was over; neither boy desired to continue it.

Trent felt awkward. He'd been acting on an information-fed impulse, only to realize his information was false. He felt foolish, and was filled with regret. Wally had struggled to be a good friend to Kuki, and Trent had been chastising him for it; chastising the boy who'd shown Trent a great amount of respect ever since their introduction.

He felt horrible.

"Well," Wally said, returning to his normal, confident self. "That was... interestin'. What say we go get a snack? I'm always hungry after a fight."

Trent grinned sheepishly. "Sounds good to me."

The two climbed down from the boxing ring and walked together to the door.

"So, Trent... you didn't answer my question. Why do you care so much?"

Trent avoided his gaze. Dare he mention his feelings toward Kuki, _especially_ after all that? He knew Wally wasn't going to hold a grudge, but it still seemed like a really bad time to tell him; if he was going to tell him at all, that is.

"I... she's just been a really good friend to me since I got here. As you put it, I was just tryin' to have her back."

Wally chuckled, and Trent began to feel better, relieved that he learned the truth before messing up what could be one of his greatest friendships yet.

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Again, apologies for the shortness and the rushed-ness. I feel like I screwed up the wait-to-length ratio with this one. But instead of doing "Through The Eye" as a single, long chapter, which with how my schedule is right now would probably take _at least_ another few weeks to finish, I figured I could split it up, in the interest of reminding my beloved readers that I'm not abandoning them or anything. lol But again, I am working on another story along with this one, so it may be sluggish for a bit (this is why I don't usually take on multiple projects like this). If you have any concerns or questions or requests or anything, feel free to PM me.**

**Take care & don't forget to review.**

**- Marty**


	9. Through The Eye (Part 2)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_ Aiight guys, _super_ short chapter, but just as before, I feel bad about how little I've been able to work on this, so I'm updating this chapter in parts. Please note that I'm only doing this for "Through The Eye"… once I get to the next full chapter, we'll be back to full-length chapters, since I should be back to concentrating on this by then. So, again, sorry for splitting it up, I just didn't wanna keep y'all waiting for too long. And, again, if I go overboard with Abby's dialect, please let me know. I do tend to go overboard with things.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: THROUGH THE EYE... (Part 2)**

* * *

Minutes after his fight with Wally had come to an end, Trent stood next to the couch in the TV room, watching as Wally and Hoagie played Modern Warfield: Opposing Force against Numbuh 419 and Numbuh 522. They weren't doing too well. But, they were putting on a good show, both in-game and in reality, jumping on the couch and unable to contain their growing frustration (especially Wally). The rest of the Sector loitered around the couch as well, watching and sniggering at their performance. Trent made sure to stand on the opposite side of the couch from Kuki.

"What the crud? That's _always_ works!"

The two commandos on the couch laughed at their opponent's misery.

"Apparently not," Numbuh 419 retorted.

Trent sipped on his can of soda, smirking at the show. It was thoroughly entertaining, and a good distraction from his earlier debacle with Wally. The Aussie seemed to have already forgotten about that, but Trent was too much of a worrier to drop such a thing so easily.

"Oh, c'mon!" Hoagie yelled out, throwing his arms up in frustration. "How did that not get you?!"

"You're pretty easy to see coming," Numbuh 522 replied, his voice filled with delight. "Besides, Numbuh 419 and I are an unbeatable team in anything."

_There they go with the "team" thing again. I'm definitely starting to think Numbuh 419's initial summary of the commandos was just to intimidate me or something..._

Hoagie and Wally groaned as the game ended. Numbuh 419 and Numbuh 522 just smirked and high-fived each other. Abby shook her head at the boys, chuckling as she turned to leave the room. Trent watched her, and decided to follow her into the hallway that led to both of their rooms.

"Numbuh 5!"

She twisted around in surprise. "Oh, hey, Numbuh 81. What's up, boy?"

"Uh, not much," Trent said, catching up to her. "How're you?"

"Eh, Numbuh 5's alright. Just headin' back to the room to enjoy some quiet time."

"Ah. So, I guess I'll leave you alone, then.."

"Nah, you're good, baby. C'mon."

Trent nodded, and followed her down to her door and through it. Her room seemed to be more of a lounge than a bedroom, though he couldn't say he was surprised. They walked over to a bar at the far corner of the room. Abby stepped behind the counter, and Trent sat down on one of the stools.

"Care for a beverage?"

Trent examined the lines of various bottles lining the shelves. Sodas and juices and flavors; an impressive collection.

_Just the kinda thing Numbuh 5 would have in her room._

"Sure."

"Whaddaya want?"

"Uh..." Trent gave the selection another looking over. "Mixed drinks an option?"

"Of course."

"Hm... how about a... uh... Mountain Mist... mixed with orange. Please."

Abby chuckled as she started making his request. "Like the citrus, do yah? How interestin'. And fittin'."

"Huh?" Trent cocked an eyebrow at the back of her head. "What's that mean?"

She didn't respond, allowing him to revel in the pouring and swishing sounds of her mixing her concoctions. He knew she heard him, so he didn't repeat himself, just waited patiently for her answer. After a minute, she turned around, a glass in each hand.

"Abby means," she said, handing him his glass, "that you're not the average operative."

"True," Trent replied, nodding in appreciation as he accepted the glass, "I'm a commando."

Abby laughed, shaking her head. "No, no, that's not what Abby means. Look, we've worked with all sorts of kids. And, yeah, every kid is different. But not all of 'em stand out. Especially not like you."

Trent just stared at her, sipping on his drink.

"We've known you, what, a couple weeks now? And already you've manage to shake up Sector V like a bottle a' Fizzilla Cola."

Trent took another sip, and held the glass just under his nose. He breathed in, appreciating the scent of orange wafting up into his nostrils, and exhaled with satisfaction.

"I'm not sure I follow, Numbuh 5."

Abby tilted her hat upward, and gazed at him in amusement. "That's because yo' too modest. It's a quality Numbuh 5 likes about you. But let's just fo'get about that fo' a moment. You're different, Numbuh 81, and not just 'cuz of yo' history. It's who you are."

Trent considered her words. Sector V had welcomed him in, sure, but he didn't believe it was because he was an especially swell guy. His short time in the KND had been anything but regular so far, so he didn't feel he could really compare his experience with anyone else's.

"Stop bein' so dense," Abby said, mostly in jest. "Numbuh 1's got a lotta respect for yah since you've been here. Numbuh 2 thinks yo' a genius, Numbuh 3 considers you one a' her best friends, as does Numbuh 4; plus, he thinks yo', like, the coolest kids he's ever worked with."

Trent grinned and jokingly scoffed at her words. "Yeah? And what does Numbuh 5 think?"

Abby smirked as his disbelief, still very much amused. "Numbuh 5's just glad to have someone else with common sense around. It gets lonely sometimes."

The two shared a jovial laugh. Trent wasn't entirely sure why he laughed so hard, but he didn't really question it. It was the heartiest laugh he'd had in a while, and he was enjoying it, especially sharing it with Abby. He appreciated the mutual respect between them, and considered her to be the most mature of the group (you know, in that "cool to talk to" kinda way, not the annoying "adult" kinda mature). He respected, even admired her, and very much desired her approval.

"So, how do you know what the others think?" He asked. "Or were you just guessing?"

"Nope. They all said these things themselves. Don't know why you have such a hard time believing it, but we all really like having you around here, Numbuh 81. And Numbuh 5 gets the feelin' you like being here, too. For whatevuh reason."

Trent raised a brow at her last statement. She stared at him with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh," He said, realizing her implication. "Right. That. Hey, it's not like-" He paused. "Wait, I actually need to talk to you about that."

"Hm? About what?"

"Her. What is it you know about her that I don't? There's obviously something going on. I'm tired of being in the dark. What is it?"

He did his best to give her a hard stare, the kind that said "I'm not dropping this until I get an answer". Her smirk faded away, and she just stared back at him. He wasn't sure how long this exchanged lasted until she finally sighed.

_Yes! I'm finally gonna get some answers!_

"Guess yo' common sense ain't the greatest, eithuh…"

_Dangit!_

"What? Why's that?"

Abby grinned. It was friendly, if not a bit patronizing. "You'll see, Numbuh 81. Numbuh 5 believes you'll figure it out. Care for anothuh round?"

Trent raised his glass to eye level, and realized it was empty.

"Sure," He said, handing it to her and chuckling at his own inobservance.

"Seriously, though," Abby said as she poured them both new drinks. "Things have been rough. But it ain't yo' fault. Yah can't be thinkin' that. Numbuh 5 is tellin' yah, things don't always go down smoothly, especially when big things start happenin'. Yah gotta let things go, and move on. Our story continues, if you will."

Trent stared at the back of her head.

'_Our story continues'?_ Our_ story…?_

He thought back to Numbuh 419's exact words on the C.O.O.L.B.U.S.

"_Remember that you're not one of them. You're just a guest... don't go thinkin' you're a part of their story."_

Trent considered those words, and then weighed them against everything Abby had told him.

_Maybe… maybe she's right…_

She turned back to him, again handing him a glass.

"Appreciate it," He said as he took the glass from her.

"It's my pleasure," Abby said. "Really."

Trent smiled. He looked down at his cup, and then raised it up in her direction. "Here's to you, Abby. May you never grow old."

Abby smiled, a little surprised by his toast. After a second, she raised her own glass. "And to you, Trent. May you always be the hero you'll never admit to being."

They clinked glasses, and chugged their respective drinks. Trent was still smiling, though his stomach churned at her words.

_I'll do my best…_

* * *

**_A/N:_ Word. Not the greatest, I know. This story is actually relatively close to finishing, and there are some things that need to be said before then, which is the main purpose of the "Through The Eye..." chapter. Please remember, the purpose of this story was for me to get used to writing in the KND universe, which is why the pacing is all over the place. But I've really enjoyed writing this, and I do take the plot & all the details seriously. Maybe sometime when this is finished I'll go back and fix up the crappy/rushed parts.  
**

**Still, I've gotten some great feedback, all of which I sincerely appreciate. You guys are awesome, even those of you who haven't reviewed. Thanks for reading.  
**

**Take care everyone,  
**

** - Marty  
**


	10. Through The Eye (Part 3)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ****_CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** o hai! Well, I just feel silly now, having left this story in the dust like I have. For those of you who don't know, pretty much right after I uploaded that last chapter, my capacity to write diminished substantially... Yayy, big words! But really, lack of free time, writers block, minor physical injuries, insomnia, blah blah, excuses, excuses, I know. But, that's why I completely stopped with this story, versus just making it secondary. After a while, I decided it was best to just take a break from writing for a bit. Things are getting better, though. I'm in a better place now, so to speak.**

**So, come time to get back to this. Part of the delay here was my deciding to reread everything thus far (and replaying Mass Effect 1 on Insanity, watching Dexter, working on original story ideas [I go by the same name on , though I've nothing up over there yet], etc...), to help get myself back in the mindset for it. Man, I've made a lotta typos and grammar errors in this... I really need to go back and fix those sometime, as well as touch up the dialect. In hindsight, I should've fixed as I went, but that hadn't occurred to me at the time. Oh well. But, I'm back on track, and I'm gonna try to get this story finished up without any more distractions.**

**I'm gonna go ahead and admit it now: I feel that this could be the weakest chapter yet. I knew what I wanted to do with it, but, even before I took that break, I wasn't too sure how I was gonna go about it. I don't think it's _bad_, per se, but... yeah. Maybe it's just a common case of Writer's Confidence.  
**

**To mah wonderful reviewers:  
**

**FrittzyCrazy: Thank you kindly, I hope this ridiculous wait hasn't changed your mind. XD  
**

**Eric Cartman Forever: I'm glad you liked it. Here's to hoping you like this one.  
**

**Double Deuce: Well, it just so happens that you learn a bit more about Trent in this chapter. Hope you like it.  
**

**Commander York: _You're_ delicious! ...wait. That was weird, wasn't it?  
**

**catspats31: Glad you liked it.  
**

**Right. Well. See you at the end of the chapter, eh?  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10: THROUGH THE EYE... (Part 3)**

* * *

An hour and several sodas later, Trent departed Abby's room. A smile was still etched onto his face, and his mood was light. Abby was definitely one of the coolest kids- no, _people-_ that Trent had ever met.

He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly.

_Alright, so things are fine with Numbuh 5, Numbuh 4, and Numbuh 2. I guess Numbuh 1, too, considering what he said on the flight back here. Which leaves..._

He didn't want to say her name, not even in his head. He was still too embarrassed to even consider facing her again. Sure, the team didn't seem to blame him for anything that had happened recently, but that didn't change the fact that he still blamed himself. He had only gotten lucky that his sporadic act of rebellion against them led him in the right direction.

Maybe he could go talk to the hamsters instead...

_No, no... I need to do this._

He sighed.

_Guess I'm headed to Kuki's room, then..._

Mere days before, Trent would have been excited to go to Kuki's room to talk. Now, he was just anxious. There was an unshakable feeling of dread in the air around him; he could almost feel it on his skin, like the musk of a long-abandoned home. The feeling was familiar, yet despicable.

_C'mon, Trent, you're just psyching yourself out. Seriously, what's the worst that could happen? Hm... does that question only jinx me if I say it out loud, or am I already done for, just for thinking it? Dangit, I can't even think without messing things up!_

Before he knew it, he was standing before the door to Kuki's room. Unsurprisingly, his inner turmoil hadn't prepared him for the moment at all; he simply stared at the door, as if it were supposed to provide some sort of hint for him.

_Well, crap,_ he thought, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had no idea why he thought the right words would just come to him, but he was sadly mistaken yet again.

He clenched his fists in his pockets. Clearly, there was only one way he was going to get anything accomplished here: do something rash, before he can stop himself. In one swift motion, he whipped his hands out of his pockets, and knocked on the door.

_There! Now I _have _to talk to her._

He smirked, satisfied with his spontaneous moment of decisiveness. A few seconds later, however, as the consequences of his actions set in in his mind, his victorious expression faded away.

_Now I _have _to talk to her... _

A bead of sweat appeared on his brow as he imagined every way she could react to seeing him there. Would she say anything? Would she shut the door in his face? Would she hit him? Would she stick her army of plush animals on him? Were they sentient?

_Aw, MAN, this could be bad!_

The hissing noise of the door opening caused Trent's heart to jump. The sight of Kuki standing before him caused it to go spastic.

She stood a few feet away, with her arms wrapped around a large, stuffed bunny doll. For some reason, her close proximity alarmed Trent; he tensed, as if ready for an incoming attack.

"Numbuh 81?"

She sounded surprised. Was she not expecting him to come speak to her? Did she not _want_ him to?

_I knew this was a mistake! But it's too late now._

"Numbuh 3."

A silence fell between the two. As usual with Kuki, Trent was very uncomfortable with this silence. He hated his inability to strike up casual conversation with her. It made him feel even more distant from her, and he was already so far away.

"Uh... what's up?" he asked, trying to maintain his calm composure.

"Um, not much," she said slowly. "I was having some tea with Chieftain Fluffwuffums, and you knocked on my door, just now..."

"Ah. Well, I can leave, if you're busy, then, and just-"

"Come join us!"

Trent raised a brow.

_Join her? What kinda person invites someone they're angry with to join them for imaginary tea? The British, maybe? But this isn't Nigel I'm visiting, it's Kuki. What gives?_

"Me?"

"Of course, silly!" she said with a giggle. Without waiting for a response, she turned around, and made her way across her room to a round table with four chairs around it. Not wanting to be rude, mixed with a reasonable dose of befuddlement, Trent followed her through the gauntlet of plushies to the table. Kuki placed the purple bunny in a chair, and then sat down in the one next to it. Trent remained standing a few feet away from the table.

"Have a seat!" Kuki said cheerfully.

"Uh, alright."

He took the seat across from Kuki. There was a small saucer before him, white with pink edges, with a matching teacup resting on it. Inside the cup was a dark liquid, with steam visibly rising from it.

"Hm. I woulda guessed you'd just pretend to have tea, like most girls do."

"I usually do," she said, pouring some more for herself. "But I felt like having some real tea today."

"What's the occasion?"

"Hmm, no occasion." She set the teapot down in the center of the table. "Sugar?"

"Oh, uh, no thanks," Trent said. He didn't actually like tea at all; he would only drink his current cup to be polite. Sugar wouldn't help.

"Now, what were you saying, Chieftan?" Kuki asked her stuffed friend, as if engaging in a real conversation.

_I'm sure she is... in her head._

"Ooh, that's _so_ interesting! Don't you think so, Numbuh 81?"

Trent shot her a blank look behind his shades. Did he just miss something?

_Just fake it, man._

"Yeah. I woulda said the same thing."

Kuki's eyes lit up with glee, and she giggled wildly into her hands.

"I should have guessed!" She continued to giggle, while Trent stared at the Chieftain.

_What did I just relate to, you little fuzzhead?_

"Listen, Kuki," Trent said, raising his cup and sipping from it. It was repulsive, and he dreaded the thought of having to finish it. "I was hoping to catch up with you. I-if you have the time."

She smiled at him. "Of course! I always have time for you, Trent!"

_Don't overthink it, man. Don't overthink it._

"The Chieftain was just on his way out, anyway." She stood up, grabbed the bunny, and turned away to return it to the sea of plushies from wence it came. Trent seized the opportunity to pour the remaining tea from his cup into the teapot, moving swiftly and silently. By the time Kuki turned around, he was casually leaning back in his chair, grinning in the wake of his perfect crime. Unfortunately for him, she did notice the aftermath.

"Oh, you're all out of tea! Please, allow me."

A small scowl crawled across Trent's face as she refilled his cup. He looked off to the side, and found the judgemental gaze of the Chieftain upon him.

_Oh, shut up._

"Numbuh 5 would probably like to be here with us," Kuki said, returning to her seat across from Trent. "She likes being around you, and she's always in the mood for a tea party."

"Really? I wouldn't think she'd care much for tea parties."

"Oh, yes! She never actually gets to come, though. She's always busy whenever I host them. She tells me she'd love to if she could, though!"

Trent quickly gulped a mouthful of tea, using his disgust to suppress a smirk.

_I'm sure she would._

"Oh well. I'm glad you showed up. An uninvited guest is only a guest I didn't have the chance to invite!"

_Wow, that was really lame._

"You're probably not here for the tea, though. It's too girly for you. So I'm guessing you have something you want to talk about."

_And that was... surprisingly astute of her._

"Or, maybe, you're just here to keep me company, because you're so nice like that!"

_What? No, you had it before. But, that works, too..._

"You are really nice, aren't you? Always doing things for others. Trying to make the world a better place for kids everywhere."

Trent shifted in his seat. He didn't like the spotlight, no matter how small the audience may be. Though he did notice how she didn't even mention the events of the previous couple of days.

"C'mon, Numbuh 3. I'm just trying to be a decent guy. There's nothing special about me."

"Yes, there is. You're different."

"Everyone's different."

"You're differenter."

_Is that a word?_

"I'm really not. Any of you woulda done the same things in my position. Probably better, actually."

He noticed she was smiling at him.

_She's always smiling. Don't overthink it._

"Oh, come _on_, Numbuh 81," Kuki said, reaching for a small bowl of sugar. "How can you say that? We've all had to deal with bullies before. Some kids stand up to them. But you did so much more than that! You started something!"

Trent gulped down some more of the wretched tea. He carefully placed the cup back on the saucer, trying not to drop it out of spite, and watched Kuki add several spoonfuls of sugar to hers. Maybe sugar _would_ help. Just a little. But, probably not. He knew it was just wishful thinking.

"Numbuh 3, I... I donno. It's really not a big deal."

She simply smiled, gazing down into her cup as she stirred it. "So, how did it begin? What made you want to start fighting for kids who got picked on?"

As she raised her eyes to look at him, his dropped into his own cup. A smile crept across his face.

_I've almost finished my tea! Thank goodness!_

And then he pondered her question, the gears in his mind grinding together as he tried to remember details. The memory began to play in his head, like a movie.

"I was in preschool," he said, swishing around the remaining tea in his cup. "I was... having a rough school year. One day, the class bully, uh... Buck? Yeah, Buck. He was picking on Little Izzy- the smallest girl at the school- and, well..."

* * *

_"B-B-Buck, p-pwease!"_

_"What? _What?! _Say somethin', pip-squeak!"_

_The tiny red-headed girl was shaking. She wore pink pants, a bright pink t-shirt, teeny pink flip-flops, and a facial expression of sheer terror. Even if she was standing up, she still wouldn't come to Buck's shoulders. But, as she was sitting there, at the picnic table off to the side of the playground, his unnaturally-large-for-a-preschooler figure completely obscured her from the sun. And the world seemed like a much colder place from inside the darkness of his shadow._

_Buck glared down at her. "So, waddaya got for me today, runt?"_

_She squeaked at his name-calling. "I-I-I don't ha-have anything, B-Buck!"_

_"Oh, _really?_" He leaned down closer to her, which almost made her fall off of the bench trying to keep distance between them. "Then what are you coloring with here? Your imagination?"_

_Meanwhile, on the swingset across the playground, Trent slowly rocked back and forth on the swing furthest from the rest of the kids. He glowered as the bully cackled, and the poor little girl recoiled in fright. With every passing moment, a rage was boiling inside him. Buck had been a problem for everyone, but he loved to pick on Little Izzy most of all; made him feel the biggest, Trent guessed._

_Buck reached for Little Izzy's box of crayons on the table. Instinctively, she grabbed them, and pulled them away before he could touch them. This act of defiance infuriated the boy. Little Izzy seemed to regret her actions immediately, but what was done was done, and Buck didn't accept apologies. He snatched the crayons away from her, and then shoved her off the bench, sending her toppling over backwards._

_That was it. Buck had finally gone too far. Trent dismounted his swing, and marched toward the two._

_Tears began to pour down from Little Izzy's eyes- most likely from fear rather than pain- as she stood to her feet. She pressed both of her hands to the back of her head, and sniffled as she attempted to keep from sobbing. A crowd was beginning to form around them (at a safe distance from Buck) as the entire playground took notice of the scene unfolding. Dozens of spectators, gaping like birds on a powerline, only watched as the tiny girl cringed in fear of the approaching monster._

_"You feelin' like fightin' me today, tiny?"_

_Little Izzy hastily shook her head, cowering as the bully loomed closer. "N-no, B-Buck! I-I didn't m-m-mean to! I'm sowwy!"_

_Buck stopped just in front of the girl. He stared at her for a moment, before adorning a sickening smile. Poor Little Izzy was shaking uncontrollably; she was a nervous wreck._

_"Yeah," Buck growled, raising a fist in preparation to strike. "You're really sorry."_

_Little Izzy whimpered, covering her eyes with her hands. This would quite possibly be the worst beating yet._

_"Get lost, freak!"_

_Buck looked to his right for the source of the voice, and was caught by surprise when someone shoved him away from Little Izzy. He almost lost his footing, but managed to stay standing. He twisted around to face the offender._

_"Who do you think you are?!"_

_Trent stood in front of Little Izzy, clinching his fists and glaring at the towering menace. He didn't match Buck size-wise, but he knew that wasn't the only thing that mattered. Even if it was, there was no way he was going to allow Buck's rein of terror to continue._

_"T-Twent?" Little Izzy squeaked._

_Trent didn't budge. Buck had his full attention; he was the target, and Trent was locked on._

_"Looks like I got a volunteer for a butt-kicking," Buck said, pounding his fist into his open palm._

_Trent remained stationary. He was a palisade between the big, bad Buck and the fragile, innocent Little Izzy, and he stood strong. The idea of faltering hadn't even crossed his mind. He was a one-boy phalanx. But, the moment Buck took just one step toward him, the wall became a spearhead._

_"I'm sick of you, Buck!" Trent growled. "Everyone is!"_

_Buck chuckled, though his eyes were wide in shock. Who was this kid, thinking he could talk to Buck like this?_

_"You gonna learn some manners!" Buck took another step toward Trent._

_Trent smirked. "I'm not a very good learner!"_

_Buck grumbled at Trent's insolence, and broke into a full-on charge. Trent glanced over his shoulder at Little Izzy, who needed no further reason to retreat into the surrounding audience, and then faced Buck once again. It was right at that moment that he realized he had no plan of action. But he was committed to seeing this through._

_Just before Buck could reach him, Trent sidestepped to his right, leaving his left foot in place; a move which would use Buck's momentum against him. Buck tripped, as expected, and skidded to a halt face-first._

_Buck grumbled some more as he clambered up to his feet. This smaller boy was more trouble than he was worth. So, the bully decided to employ a... _lower_ form of warfare._

_"C'mon, Edison," Buck challenged snidely. "Make me run crying for my _mommy_ and _daddy. _C'mon!"_

_Trent's entire body tensed. A fire sparked in his eyes, and the blaze raged through his veins. His knuckles were white, and his fists began to shake._

_"Come on, wimp!"_

_The insult didn't bother Trent, but Buck had already secured what was coming to him._

_"You deaf, wuss? I said, make me run home to my-"_

_Trent lunged at the bully, catching him by surprise. He punched him in the stomach with all the strength he could muster. Buck doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Trent grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him into the ground._

_Buck lay motionless, with a weak "Duuuhhh..." emanating from his mouth to assure the onlookers of his consciousness. In mere seconds, he had gone from arrogant, reining tyrant of the playground, to a defeated lump of pathetic._

_The audience gawked at Trent. He'd just put the class bully in his rightful place: in the dirt. No one could stand up to Buck like that and get away with it! Except... he just did._

_"T-Twent?"_

_A moment passed before Trent could look away from his dazed foe; he was still fuming. When he did turn his head to face the addressee, he found it to be Little Izzy, approaching him from the crowd. She stared at him with wide eyes, though not quite the same way as the rest of the kids._

_"You... you..." She was struggling in her search for words. Her eyes dropped to Buck. "You... saved me. Fwom him."_

_Trent's anger subsided. The battle was over. Now it was time to deal with the wounded._

_"You OK?" he asked, turning to face her. She had some dirt on her from her fall, but seemed physically unharmed otherwise. Might have a bit of a headache if she hit her head._

_"Yeah..." She trailed off shyly. "Thank you, Twent. I-I thought..."_

_He grinned, for the first time that school year. He had done something good. And he felt good for it._

_"But, what about tomowwow? He's gonna be mad! And some of the other kids-"_

_"Don't worry," Trent interrupted. "I won't let those bullies pick on us anymore." He spotted her box of crayons on the ground next to Buck. He reached for them. "I believe..." He picked them up, and held them out to her. "...these are yours."_

_She beamed at him as she accepted what was rightfully hers. She looked up at him, giggled, and embraced him in a hug. This move caught Trent by surprise; by the time it registered in his mind, she had already released him._

_"Thanks!"_

* * *

"...and I knew I couldn't let that happen ever again. There's just too much bad in the world; we can't have kids hurting fellow kids. It's... just not right."

Kuki stared at him with eyes wide, holding her cup just under her lips. "Wow... You remember it well, don't you?"

He continued to gaze into his cup. "Vividly."

Another silence befell them as Kuki was at a loss for words. This time, though, Trent didn't pay it any mind; he was still remembering Buck's challenge to him. It was a low blow, one which still stirred up mixed feelings in Trent all this time later.

Kuki sipped her tea thoughtfully. Trent looked up, and met her gaze. He could tell she had something on her mind.

"So, you made it your mission to protect your friends?"

"Didn't have many friends at that point. Anyone who got picked on, really."

"So you looked out for people who may not have even _liked _you? Did you feel responsible, or something?"

He chuckled. "I did it for the thrills."

"Was bullying a big problem there?"

"Yeah. And they didn't like me taking a stand against them. Not that I cared."

"Wow. That's, like, the nicest thing ever!"

He scoffed. "Sure."

"No, really! And when you got so mad at Buck- well, it's kind of odd, I know, but- I think that was sweet."

"Huh?"

"He was making fun of kids who cry and want their parents, right? That's just mean! I mean, every kid should want their mom and dad!"

Trent cringed. He didn't mean to. He hadn't expected himself to. But he did. And Kuki noticed.

"Numbuh 81? Are you OK?"

Trent looked away from her. "Yeah. It's just... uh... I don't like to think about Buck."

"Oh. That makes sense."

_Good. She bought it._

"Still, though. You must have spent a lot of time dealing with bullies."

He nodded. "I did."

"You still gave yourself time to play and have fun, though, right?"

"When I wasn't busy."

"Treeent!"

"Whaaat?"

"You _gotta _make time for yourself! I mean, I'm sure you spend plenty of time with your family, but-"

Trent dropped his cup onto the saucer. It hit harder than he expected, and made a loud _CLINK!_ that made him jump.

Kuki eyed him suspiciously. "Have you been home since you graduated?"

Trent shifted in his seat. "No..." This conversation was heading in a direction he wanted nothing more than to avoid.

"What?! Why not? You need to see your family!"

"Kuki..."

"Seriously, you have to! You never know how much time you have left with them! Why spend so much time fighting bullies and not..."

She trailed off. Trent rubbed his temples, eyes clinched shut. He was thankful that he was wearing his shades; a person's eyes had a tendency to sell out their emotions. And right then, they had plenty to tell. Instead of dropping the subject, she was honing in on the things Trent had hoped to keep secret.

_I'm not ready for her to find out..._

"Don't you like your parents?"

He looked up at her. "It's not that.."

She gasped. "What's the matter with you?! How could-"

"_Drop it!_"

He looked away from her once more. He hadn't intended to sound so hostile. But she had traveled far beyond the boundaries she couldn't know of.

Unfortunately, she was too close to a breakthrough to be deterred now. "So, what is it, then? How can you do so much for strangers, but nothing for your family? Don't you love them?"

Trent downed the last bit of his tea, and then stared into the empty cup.

"I did... when they were still around..."

The most uncomfortable silence Trent had ever experienced followed. He attempted to cope by studying the bottom of the plastic teacup with great attention to detail. He didn't want to know how she was looking at him right then. Eventually, she'd offer up a sincere, empathetic apology, and they'd move on. But she'd never look at him the same. None of the other kids ever did.

His eyes grew tired of the stained off-white inside of the cup. But he didn't dare look anywhere else. Especially not at Kuki. Did she even understand?

If there were a graceful way for him to exit the situation, he'd be all over it. But there wasn't. So, he awaited her new appraisal of him.

"Trent... I-"

No. He couldn't take it. Not from her.

"Don't!" He kicked back from the table, stood to his feet, and took several steps away. "Don't say anything. I already know."

Kuki didn't move for a moment. Then, she slowly rose to her feet. Trent could hear the chair sliding on the wooden floor. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. This wouldn't be enjoyable.

"So," Kuki said, her voice just above a whisper. "What Buck said... that's why it got to you." If she was looking for a response, that wasn't clear to him. "Did Buck bug you a lot after that?"

Trent sighed quietly.

_Forget it. If she's gonna distance herself from me, the least I can do is make it easier for her. Tell her everything._

"Yeah. He was... kind of my brother. In a way. But, not really. I mean, his parents became my foster parents. So, you can understand why I hated going back to the house."

He turned around to look at her. If she was going to know everything, she at least deserved the courtesy of not having his back turned to her.

"I had to put up with him every day. Before, during, and after school. He was perfect in his parents' eyes, so he got whatever he wanted. I was always getting in trouble for not doing whatever he wanted. So, when he decided to pick on Little Izzy that day..."

"It was your chance to get back at him."

_Man, it sounds so... _petty,_ when she says it._

"Yeah. Plus, it got the rest of the class to stop treating me weird."

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since... well... the accident... the summer before school started... the other kids would look at me funny, like I was some pitiful little puppy or something. Except, they wouldn't come close enough to talk to me. Didn't go outta their way to avoid me, but I was definitely an outsider. Like they were warned I was different, or something. And I just... didn't care enough to prove them wrong. I can have fun by myself."

That last part was intended as a joke, but it didn't carry over. Kuki watched him with a look in her eyes Trent couldn't quite identify. It almost looked... sad, but it wasn't. Not quite.

He decided to continue. "After that, I still didn't pay much attention to the rest of the kids. Just the bullies. It wasn't until Lily came along that I started really caring for the other kids. Up till then, I was, uh... I guess I was doing it for myself. I had nothing else to do, really. There's nothing noble or anything about it."

He crossed his arms. "So, as it turns out, the only way I know to do anything decent with myself is to do everything I can for others." His mind drifted back to South America. "I'm not worth the trouble myself. I'm terrible at making decisions, anyhow."

Kuki listened without saying a word, still watching him with the unknown facial expression.

_Probably means I've said enough._

He took in a deep breath. "I'm done. I'll show myself out."

_This is the worst,_ Trent thought to himself as he turned toward the door. _I came in here to mend our friendship, and, instead... this. I've scared her off. I can't-_

Kuki grabbed Trent's forearm, stopping him in his tracks. Surprised, he looked over at her, and saw that she was smiling at him.

_What...?_

The next thing he knew, her arms were wrapped around him. Her silky raven hair felt cool, pressed against the side of his head. Her oversized sweatshirt was soft and warm, the sleeves around his neck comforting, like a protective scarf against a relentless blizzard. There was heart behind the embrace, as if it had been held back for some time and was finally indulged.

"Don't go."

Her voice was so calm, so soothing. It comforted Trent; something he wasn't expecting. He couldn't bring himself to move, to return the hug. This was wildly different than what he had anticipated. What the heck was going through her head?

She released him, but didn't step away, leaving her face only inches from his. "I don't want you to go."

Trent stared at her in disbelief. "What? What about everything I just told you? I do everything for the wrong reasons! I don't play well with others, I'm a mess... I_ can't be normal!_ I don't know how!"

"That's okay," she said with a shrug. "It's better for you to be you, anyway."

"Doesn't seem like it. 'Me' doesn't fit in anywhere."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is!" He took a step back. "I don't fit in at school, I don't fit in at home, I don't fit in here, I don't even fit in on my own! How does that even work?!"

Kuki frowned at him. "What makes you say you don't fit in here?"

"Seriously? How do I _not _not fit in here?"

"That's silly, Trent! You could never not not fit in here! I think..."

"Of course I couldn't not not, I don't not... uh..." He scratched his head, and then cleared his throat. "Listen, Kuki. You guys... you have your own story going here. I'm just not a part of it."

It hurt to admit that to her. But he felt it needed to be said.

Kuki tilted her head just the slightest bit to the side. Her expression was blank. Was she going to concede to his statement? Did she even realize it herself? There was no way to know. Trent just tried to brace himself for whatever she was about to throw his way.

"Of course you're part of this, Trent." She reached up, took hold of his shades, and gently slid them off. "You're my friend."

Nothing could have prepared him for that. He couldn't think of anything to say. He just stood there, staring into her violet eyes, as she gazed into his.

"Kuki... I..." He blushed. He could tell by how his cheeks began to burn. It wasn't about what she had just said to him, it was about his own stupidity. Why was he always worrying that she'd be relentlessly cruel? That was the _complete _opposite of who she was! Maybe in some weird, messed up mirror universe she'd be like that.

She wasn't so kind because she was naive or ignorant; she was so kind, so caring, because she was Kuki Sanban. How did it take him so long to realize that?

"I... I'm sorry. I-"

"Shush." She raised her sleeve-covered pointer finger to his lips. "Stop apologizing. See how I'm still standing here, talking with you? I'm not waiting for a reason to leave. You're my friend."

A smile spread across her lips. "I know you're not perfect. I don't want you to be. I told you: I want you to be you. Because you're the boy that became my good friend. All of you. Do you get it now?"

Trent did understand what she was saying. He felt truly ridiculous for every negative thought he ever had in regards to her. Normally, he'd apologize profusely and feel bad about it, but, not this time. He was going to prove that he understood her.

And just like that, he could almost feel the weight on his shoulders lighten. Yeah, he still needed to solve the mystery that is Jumpsuit, but at least he knew everything was fine with all of his new friends.

Trent chuckled. "Kuki?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

She giggled. "For what?"

"For being you. Because 'you' is awesome. Uh, _are_ awesome. Um..."

"Something like that."

The two shared a good laugh. For Trent, for the first time in what felt like forever, all was right with the world. Everything that mattered, anyway. He knew it was only temporary, but, he'd enjoy it while it lasted.

"So," Kuki said, leading him back to the table. "You glad you came in here for tea?"

"Ha, yeah."

"Care for some more?"

"Sure."

"You don't like tea, do you?"

"Makes me wanna puke."

* * *

Trent plodded down the hallway leading back to his room. His mind was a mess after everything that went down in Kuki's room. Spending alone time with Kuki always seemed to leave him confused. But, it didn't seem to be a bad thing this time.

_Keeps it interesting, I guess._

His room door slid open, and he passed through the doorway.

"Numbuh 81."

Trent looked over to his workbench across the room, where Numbuh 522 sat facing him. Behind him, Trent could see several weapons strewn about.

"Numbuh 522. What's going on?"

The senior commando stood up, stretched, and approached Trent, who met him in the center of the room. He examined Trent for a moment, before chuckling.

"Having a good evening?"

Trent chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh... yeah, guess I am. So what's up?"

"I'm heading out to one of our research facilities to rendezvous with the Supreme Leader tomorrow morning. She's going to investigate one of our scientists, who's a bit... unstable. I think he has something to do with this whole mess."

"Numbuh 08."

Numbuh 522 nodded. "I wanted to check it out myself, but Numbuh 362 insisted I come here with Sector V to prepare for the next battle. But, if I'm right, there won't _be_ a next battle. But, if I'm right, she's heading right into the danger zone. As you know, our primary purpose it to keep her safe."

Trent nodded in understanding. "Are you going alone?"

"I donno, am I?"

Trent smirked, sliding his shades from his pocket and donning them. "No. You're not."

Numbuh 522 smiled. "Excellent. I'll inform Numbuh 419, see if he wants to come."

"He probably will. Where is he, anyway?"

"Oh, he's off playing video games. Numbuh 4 challenged him to a rematch; I guess he's still sore from earlier. I imagine there's a lotta trash talking going on in there."

Trent chuckled at the thought. "Probably. So, hey, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What's the deal with Numbuh 08? Like, what's his story?"

"Hm, he hates the KND."

"So why hasn't he been decommissioned?"

"That's a long story I'll tell you sometime. You just gotta promise not to let Numbuh 362 know that you know."

"Why tell me, if it's such a big secret?"

"Because I've told all the commandos. Just in case."

Trent crossed his arms. Since he couldn't show his uncertainty with his eyes, he needed to convey it somehow.

"There's always something I don't know, isn't there?"

Numbuh 522 laughed, and pat him on the shoulder. "Always."

* * *

**_A/N:_****Yeah. This was the worst possible place I could've put the story on hold at. I know this chapter was really dramatic compared to the rest of the story, but, considering the subject matter, it kinda needed to be. I tried to keep it with the flow of the story, but it was really difficult to do, and I'm not entirely sure I pulled it off. I guess that's what reviews are for, eh?  
**

******On a brighter note, "Through The Eye..." is now complete, so we'll be moving right along.  
**

******Thank you for your time, dear readers. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Have a Merry Christmas, and a fantastic rest of the year.  
**

**- Marty**


	11. Of The Storm (Part 1)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN **_**CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR**_

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Wow. The last chapter went over a lot better than I was expecting. Guess it was just Writer's Confidence after all. XD On a slightly related note, I do have how I want the rest of this to go planned out, so I won't have to wing it as I go anymore (like with the last chapter), so it shouldn't take as long to update. Just depends on free time now.**

**So, why is this just part of the chapter, when I said that I wouldn't be updating with partial chapters anymore? Well, in a nutshell, people in this fandom generally seem to respond better to shorter chapters. I guess it's easier to keep up with or something. So, I'm gonna see if this helps anyone out.**

**Fair warning: I'm updating without proof-reading again. I feel like I really should with this one, but I hate how much I'm keeping y'all waiting as it is. I actually finished writing this part a few days ago, but I started feeling sick soon after, and just haven't felt up to it. I'll get around to it soon, I swear it.  
**

**A special thanks to my reviewers. Très apprécié.  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10: ...OF THE STORM (PART 1)  
**

* * *

By the time the sun rose over the Sector V treehouse, the three commandos were long gone. They hadn't announced their departure to the Sector, only left a note explaining that they left to investigate a lead and would return. Maybe it was a tad misleading, but it didn't matter. By the time the Sector saw it, the trio would already be nearing their destination.

The trip was quiet, for the most part. Trent had slept on the flight from the treehouse to the coast. Once at the coast, the three met with one of Numbuh 522's contacts, who was waiting with a Kids Next Door S.U.B.S.T.A.N.D.A.R.D. for them to take to the research facility. None of the boys had talked much since then; Numbuh 522 seemed preoccupied with the mission, while Trent and Numbuh 419 were just sleepy.

"Man, it's really wavy out here," Trent said, examining one of the screens in front of him at the S.U.B.S.T.A.N.D.A.R.D.'s Navigation Station. He was referring to their current location, which was somewhere out in the Atlantic Ocean. He had never been out on the ocean before, much less in a submarine, so his nerves were a little on edge (the large glass window in the center of the compartment's floor didn't help). Fortunately, it was proving to be an educational experience for him; in an effort to distract himself, he had taken to learning the different control stations of the sub, particularly the Weapons Station.

"Yeah, there's a hurricane formin' in the area," Numbuh 522 said from the Sonar Station. "Good thing we're underwater."

Trent gulped, and tried to re-immerse himself in the screens.

"So, run this by me again," Numbuh 419 said from the central captain's chair behind Trent. "We find Numbuh 362, beat the crap outta Numbuh 08, and then all go out for ice cream afterwards, right? Except for Numbuh 08, of course. Probably doesn't like ice cream, anyway. Weirdo."

"Heh, somethin' like that. I could be completely mistaken here, but, I really think Numbuh 08 has a hand in this Jumpsuit business."

"How? What would he being doing?"

"I don't know; that's the thing."

"Not much of a confidence booster."

"I know, alright? I know he's working on some top secret project in one of the most secure Kids Next Door facilities on the planet, and I know it's probably impossible for him to even be capable of going behind everyone's backs like that! But that 'probably' is why I have to go."

Trent spun his chair around to face his compatriots, who were both fiddling with their respective stations (Numbuh 522 was typing on his console, and Numbuh 419 was using the parascope), not bothering to look at each other. He knew next to nothing about this Numbuh 08 character, but the other commandos seemed to take him _very_ seriously. He didn't understand why, but the time for answers would have to come later.

"Don't get me wrong," Numbuh 419 said, without looking away from the parascope. "You know I'm with you all the way. Just wanna make sure I know what we're getting into. That's all."

"Don't worry. If I'm wrong, then we'll just head back to Sector V." Numbuh 522 glanced over at Trent, and shot him a mischievous grin. "I think we'd all rather be back there, anyhow."

Though his shades covered his eyes, Trent couldn't keep his cheeks from turning a little pink. He turned back around and faced away from Numbuh 522.

"They're okay, I guess," Numbuh 419 mumbled. "I'm enjoying being in charge of this sub right now, though."

"Please, you're only sitting there 'cause you begged me to let you play with the parascope."

"It's fun!"

"I don't doubt it. So, Numbuh 81, you seem pretty into those screens over there. You OK?"

Trent twisted his seat around at the sound of his codename. "Yeah. I guess I'm just not used to being underwater like this."

"I feel yah, man. I'm not a huge fan of it. The ocean's a big place. Never know what's out there. Or if whatever's out there is bigger than us and hates people from the surface world."

Trent cocked an eyebrow, unsure if Numbuh 522 was being serious or not.

"Ah, you're just a fraidy-cat!" Numbuh 419 said, still absorbed in the parascope. "You know there's nothing out there."

"No, I _don't _know! And that's my point!"

Numbuh 419 chuckled to himself, opting not to continue the argument. "So... we almost there?"

Trent glanced around at one of the screens next to him. "About five minutes till we get a visual of the facility."

"Good," Numbuh 522 said. "Then we should be hailed soon-"

_"Approaching vessel,"_ a girl's voice said over the submarine's intercom. _"This is a restricted area. Turn around, or you _will _be fired on!"_

"Friendly bunch," Numbuh 419 muttered to himself, chuckling.

"Super Deep Sea Science Lab, this is Numbuh 522, Kids Next Door Commando. I have Numbuh 419 and Numbuh 81 here as well. This is a scheduled visit. I have clearance to dock."

The treehouse took a moment to respond.

_No doubt making sure our story checks out._

_"Roger that, Numbuh 522. You are clear to proceed to Docking Bay 3. Please remember that this is a classified treehouse; projects in development here are not to be mentioned outside of these walls. Have a good visit, sirs."_

"Man, she sounds so serious," Numbuh 419 said, finally tearing himself away from the parascope. "I bet these kids don't get away from here very much."

"Yeah," Numbuh 522 said, staring at the ocean floor through the glass section of the deck. "Some less than others."

Numbuh 419 stood to his feet and checked his S.P.I.C.E.R., prompting the other two to follow suit. Trent had made sure his weapons were ready the previous evening, but it never hurt to check again. As he examined his B.A.T.T.L.E.C.A.P., a question formed in his head.

"So, are you guys, like, high ranking officers, or something? I mean, since she called you 'sirs.'"

Trent's companions looked at him, exchanged glances with each other, and then looked back at him.

"You mean that wasn't explained to you in training?" Numbuh 522 asked.

Trent began to feel nervous. What wasn't explained? He didn't even know what the question was, much less the answer. He quickly realized that it was a simple question, though, not an accusation, and he calmed himself down. He shook his head.

"Huh. I guess that's one of those things you were supposed to learn durin' your trial period with the Sector. Guess it makes sense you didn't get that far, since you had to detach early."

Numbuh 419 picked up where his friend left off. "You know how KND Commandos work with and answer to the Supreme Leader directly, and how we all have really high security clearances, and how we're usually independent operators? It'd be kinda hard to carry out some assignments when some jerk officer from Sector Whatever is giving you stupid orders, or doesn't wanna follow yours to help with a mission. So, that, combined with the fact that we're simply the best of the KND, means we get some serious power."

"We're kind of a special case," Numbuh 522 resumed. "While we technically outrank most members of the Kids Next Door, we're not really supposed to go around orderin' people around unless it's mission-related, or somethin' along those lines. Really, it doesn't play a huge part in things, it just keeps us independent, and from gettin' held up by our own side."

Trent nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Wait... so... when I was with Sector V all that time, _I_ was the ranking officer?"

"Eh, not really," Numbuh 522 said with a shrug. "You were technically in training. But, once you detached from them in South America and were assigned to this case, you 'graduated' from training. So, now, yes, you outrank Numbuh 1 and the others. So when the controller said 'sirs' back there, she was referring to you, too."

_Wow... that's... cool. I guess._

"So what about us? Are some Commandos higher ranking than others?"

"No, not really," Numbuh 419 answered. "We're all the same, though we kinda unofficially keep ranks between ourselves, for the sake of structure. We generally go by experience to decide seniority. If the time does come for someone to take some kinda leader role, we'll usually go by whoever steps up. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and we trust each other to know what they are."

"So where do you guys fall in in those ranks?"

Numbuh 419 grinned. "At the top, baby. We're the most experienced in the KND, so we're the unofficial leaders of the Commandos."

"Both of you?"

"We share the title."

"Which one is it really?"

"Debatable."

"You see, Numbuh 81," Numbuh 522 chimed in. "Numbuh 419 and I have been friends since I was fresh from the Cadets Next Door, and he had just finished his trial period with Sector W. We've done more assignments together than any other combination of Commandos. And we were there for some pretty big moments in KND history. So, we have a bit of a reputation."

Trent interpreted that as Numbuh 522 telling him that there was a story behind Numbuh 419's answer. He made a mental note to ask about that later.

"Ah, we're here! Numbuh 419, if you'd be so kind as to take us in."

"Why, it would be my legitimate pleasure, Numbuh 522."

Numbuh 522 moved to the captain's chair, Numbuh 419 moved to the Navigation Station, and Trent moved to stand next to the captain's chair. Trent felt it as the sub decelerated, and watched through the deck window as several roots along the ocean floor came into view, leading up to a massive treetrunk. What kind of tree grew at the bottom of the ocean like that, Trent had no idea. Maybe the scientists created it.

Moments later, the sub came to a complete stop. They were docked. Numbuh 522 looked over and grinned. "Welcome below, Trent." He stood up, and they all walked to the exit.

"So, you guys are pretty well-known, huh?"

"Yeah," Numbuh 522 said, opening the exit hatch. "Six years of service, you get to know everyone. The Kids Next Door is pretty big, but you'll find that it's a small world out there."

"Six years?"

"Yep. In case you didn't realize it, me and Numbuh 419 here are 12. We've made a name for ourselves; but our time is limited, just like everyone else's."

Trent stared after the other two boys as they exited the sub. For some reason, Numbuh 522's statement hit him right in the gut. He himself was only a few years away from being a teenager; he'd never really thought about what would happen then. What would become of him? Would he still be a fighter? For whom would he fight then? Has he been fighting losing battles all along?

"Yo, you comin'?"

Trent snapped out of his thoughts, and looked up at Numbuh 419, who was still smirking from earlier.

_He doesn't seem worried about these things... Neither of them do. Then I won't either. After all, I promised Kuki..._

"Dude?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"C'mon. Numbuh 362's sub hasn't arrived yet, but Bay 1 is standing by for her. Numbuh 522 went on ahead."

Trent nodded, and stepped out of the sub. He immediately felt a drop in temperature, which complimented the cold, bleak interior of the bay. Every surface of the rectangular room was metal, and the only features were the door on one of the walls, and the pool in the center, in which the submarine was resting. This place obviously wan't designed to welcome visitors.

Trent followed Numbuh 419 across the room and through one of the doors, leading into a long, equally inhospitable hallway. A couple pairs of armed KND security guards were patrolling the hallway going either direction. The two commandos headed down the hallway toward Bay 1. To Trent's surprise, as he and Numbuh 419 approached them, the guards stepped to the side to clear their way, though neither party acknowledged the other as they passed.

After what seemed like a mile's walk, they reached a door with "DOCKING BAY 1" painted over the door.

"Guess this is it," Numbuh 419 muttered as he entered through the doorway.

This bay was the same as the one they had docked in, with the exception of several scientists and security personnel awaiting the Supreme Leader's arrival. Numbuh 522 stood next to a red-headed scientist. The two were silent, but looked as though they had talked earlier.

"She should be arriving any moment now," Numbuh 522 said as they walked up to him. "With any luck, I'll be able to talk her into just turning around and going back to Moonbase. Then Numbuh 74.239 said he'll help us review the treehouse and make sure everything is legit."

"Of course, if anything were wrong, we'd know about it," Numbuh 74.239 said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Security is tighter here than anywhere else in the world. Over two-thirds of our staff is made up of security personnel."

"I don't care about the numbers," Numbuh 522 said, sounding equally annoyed. "Our enemy is among us, and we don't know where. We can't be too careful."

Numbuh 74.239 huffed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Trent figured they had been talking about that before. That explained why they weren't talking.

"They're here," Numbuh 419 said flatly. Trent furrowed his brow at the boy's random outburst, only to realize it wasn't so random when a S.U.B.S.T.A.N.D.A.R.D. slowly surfaced in the pool before them. Most of the operatives straightened up and struck a more professional pose, aside from the commandos, who simply watched. Once the submarine had fully surfaced, a brow rose out of the floor next to it and connected to the entrance hatch.

"We didn't get a brow," Numbuh 419 muttered. Numbuh 522 shrugged.

The hatch opened, and out stepped Rachel. She climbed down the brow, and walked straight over to where they were standing.

"Numbuh 362, sir!" Numbuh 74.239 said loudly, standing straight with his chest slightly puffed out. "The Super Deep Sea Science Lab is ready for inspection!"

"Very well," Rachel said, placing her hands behind her back. She looked over at the commandos. Her expression was very stern, and Trent couldn't help but notice the shadows under her eyes; she looked like she hadn't slept in ages.

_This whole situation must be really difficult for her,_ Trent thought, frowning a little. Still, he was relieved to see her alive and well.

"Numbuh 81," she said in acknowledgement. "Numbuh 419. Numbuh 522."

"Ello," Numbuh 522 said casually, his informal attitude garnering a dirty look from Numbuh 74.239. "You look tired, ma'am. Go get some sleep. We got this."

Rachel shook her head and replied sternly, "We've been over this. You shouldn't be here, anyway. I told you to stay with Sector V. Or are they here, too?"

"Nope, just us. Seriously, please-"

"_No_, Numbuh 522. I'm already here, and there's nothing to worry about, anyway."

"Then you won't mind if we tag along."

Rachel sighed. "Fine." She turned to Numbuh 74.239. "This is an informal inspection, Numbuh 74.239. Don't stress about it. Let's just get it over with."

"Sounds good to me!" Numbuh 74.239 said enthusiastically, leading Rachel and her posse of guards out of the bay. Trent exchanged looks with Numbuh 522, and they followed.

"I want a status report of all science projects currently in development," Rachel commanded, her voice echoing a little in the long, steel hallway. "Anything that could possibly have anything to do with this Jumpsuit guy."

Trent glanced to his left at the other commandos. Numbuh 419 seemed to be watching the security detail escorting them, while Numbuh 522 kept his hand near his leg holster.

_Glad I'm not the only one on edge here._

"Yes, sir," Numbuh 74.239 said. He turned to a door on his left, and began typing on the keypad next to it. "Better yet, I'll _show you_."

The boy led them into a large lab. It had large glass tanks of various colored liquids, marked containers and canisters of who knows what, science equipment, computers, and all kinds of stuff Trent couldn't identify, along with several scientists at work. Trent gaped at all the things around him, before realizing that no one else seemed interested in the slightest. His face reddened slightly as he returned to a professional composure.

"This is our primary chemical laboratory," Numbuh 74.239 explained, already heading to a door on the far side of the room. "We've been working to develop a cure for the common cold for years now. We've made some advancements in terms of comfortability and soothality, but nothing permanent."

Rachel remained silent, offering no acknowledgement. It was entirely possible that she was already aware of this project. She _was _the Supreme Leader, after all.

_And I bet she knows about the other projects, too. And who knows what else..._

Numbuh 74.239 continued. "Obviously, no part of this project could possibly do anyone any harm. Well, unless someone mixed the Grasshopper Formula with the Daisy Concoction from earlier, then- oh, heh heh, nevermind!" He chuckled nervously once he realized Rachel was glaring at him, unamused.

_Man, she's dead serious about this. I really hope she's OK..._

"Right, well, through this door is our next project, codename: G.O.J.O.E." Numbuh 74.239 entered a code into the keypad, and the reinforced double doors slowly swung open. He paused for a moment, until the doors were open enough for the group to proceed, and then continued in. "As you're probably wondering, G.O.J.O.E. is an acronym for..."

The boy's words faded into the background as a sudden sense of dread overcame Trent as he entered this new room. It looked similar to the last, except, instead of colorful liquids and lights everywhere, this room contained large glass tanks of black and dark brown liquids, and most of the equipment seemed to be deactivated. The space seemed neglected, trashed even. It just seemed... off.

But that wasn't what triggered Trent's emotions. There was a strong stench about this room, and Trent recognized it immediately, though he couldn't place what it was or where he knew it from. But he knew it was nothing good.

And then he remembered.

* * *

_He found himself in an intersection between rows of shelves in a dimly lit storeroom. The ceiling wasn't very high, but the walls were far enough apart that he couldn't even tell how big the room was. There was a strange smell, something somewhat familiar, but it was too faint for him to place it._

* * *

_Back on that ship, when we rescued Rachel! It's that same smell! I have to say something!_

"Numbuh 74.35... uh, whatever!" Trent shouted, causing the whole group to stop and look back at him. "What's going on here?! What is this place?"

"It's Numbuh 74.239," the boy said curtly. He continued to the center of the room, everyone else watching him like a curious crowd around a street performer. "Essentially, G.O.J.O.E. is the product of a secret, experimental operation to convert the adults' beloved coffee into a super-efficient fuel for our ground vehicles, aircraft, and space fleet, thus providing us with a valuable resource, and depriving the adults of their primary energy source!"

Trent was livid; he'd been right all along. "So the Kids Next Door _is_ working with coffee! I knew it!"

"Numbuh 81!" Rachel stepped towards him, sounding exasperated. "I... I didn't know... i-it's not a weapon! O-or..."

"It's dang suspicious, though," Numbuh 522 said, crossing his arms. He sounded like he was on Trent's side. "Our most secretest lab has a ton coffee stored up. For _science experiments_, no less. And what about that... _operation_ that he mentioned? I've never even heard of it!"

"Neither have I!" Rachel sounded desperate for them to believe her. "When I terminated Chad's project after I took over, I thought all the coffee had been disposed of! I don't even know how they got so much!"

"...I do."

Everyone turned to stare at Numbuh 419. Both Rachel's and Numbuh 522's mouths hung open. Trent simply stared; his train of thought had completely derailed.

"Dude..." Numbuh 522 seemed to struggle to form his words. "You... in on this?"

"I'm not in on nothin'," Numbuh 419 replied casually. "Back when Chad was still in charge, he had me heading a series of covert ops interceptin' and stealin' coffee shipments. Supposedly, the shipments were to be decaffeinated, and then replaced before anyone's the wiser. But, uh... heh... guess I was bein' used."

Trent furrowed his brow behind his shades. Numbuh 419 sounded as if he was on the verge of laughter. What an odd response for someone just found out that he was a pawn in a scandalous scheme. Maybe it didn't matter much to him.

_Or, maybe he's in shock..._

"I can't believe this," Numbuh 522 said, still shaking off the surprise. "How... _why_ didn't I know about this?!"

"Because he knew you wouldn't go for it. Guess he thought you'd go digging for proof."

"And I woulda. Just like you should've."

"Look, I know it sounds fishy now, but nothing seemed out of place at the time. And you know I couldn't tell you."

"...Yeah, I know. So, wait, was that what was going on when-?"

"Yeah."

"So everything with-?"

"Yeah. So now you know."

Trent sighed. They were wasting time. "You were used. It's not your fault. But that's not important anymore."

"He's right," Rachel said, sounding more like her usual confident self. "What's done is done. And now that we know _what_ was done, we can make sure we take the right steps from here on out. But we all need to be on the same team."

Trent glanced at her for just a moment. _I know you're trying to salvage the situation, Rachel. But it might be too soon for that. Or too late._

"We still don't know everything," Trent said. "We should keep moving. But, first, Numbuh 74.238, how far did you make it with this project? Was it successful?"

"_Nine._ Two three _nine_. And the project never yielded any positive results. It's a bit of an enigma, really; we reworked the formula numerous times, and engineered the prototype compound perfectly. Theoretically, the test batches should have performed flawlessly. In practice, however, the fuel lines of all the testing craft spontaneously combusted. Every time."

"How come?" Numbuh 419 asked. "Was the coffee base too strong, or something?"

"It shouldn't have been. Perhaps it's a simple oversight. We'll figure it out."

"_No_, you won't!" Numbuh 522 shouted. "This project is too risky! We-"

"We'll decide on that later," Rachel said firmly. "What are the other projects?"

Trent felt someone nudge his arm, and looked over at Numbuh 419. While the rest of the group followed Numbuh 74.239, the commandos formed a triangle, facing each other.

"So, watcha thinkin'?" Numbuh 419 whispered once the others were out of earshot.

"I'm thinkin' Numbuh Smartypants is full of it." Numbuh 522 said. He sighed. "We're wasting time. Stay with them. Numbuh 81 and I are gonna pay a visit to our... _special friend_."

Numbuh 419 nodded. "Make sure to tell him 'hi' for me."

"Will do. Keep us updated on the other projects via radio."

Numbuh 419 gave a mock salute, and took off after the others. Numbuh 522 nodded at Trent, and the two headed back toward the first hallway.

"You really think it's Numbuh 08?" Trent asked, examining the colorful lab as they passed through it.

"Yeah. At least, he's involved somehow. I know he is. He's been waiting for his chance to bring the Kids Next Door to its knees for years. There's no way he's _not_ guilty."

"Why, though? What's up with him?"

Numbuh 522 remained silent until they exited back into the hallway. "Alright, I probably shoulda explained this better to you before. Numbuh 08 is the KND's dirty little secret. A lotta operatives know _of_ him, and that we're holding him prisoner for treason; the specifics vary, depending on who you ask. All rumors, anyways."

They came to an intersection. Numbuh 522 examined the branching hallways, and then continued forward. "He's been a prisoner for five years, so he's not a new topic. Operatives are discouraged from talkin' about him, though. Not that anyone wants to, kinda like that obscure uncle in jail no one mentions at the family reunions."

Trent cocked a brow at that last comment, but continued to listen quietly. Numbuh522 continued, "The majority of the KND has forgotten about him anyways, which is good. Most of the kids who knew the truth have been decommissioned by now, so he's well on his way to fading out of KND history. Everyone will be better off once he's gone."

Trent stared at the boy. The whole thing sounded ridiculous to him. How could one boy warrant such a response from the KND? What could he have possibly done?

"I don't understand..."

"It's too much to explain now. Just know that he's _not_ one of the good guys, Numbuh 81."

_"Guys, it's me. You there?"_

Trent reached into his hoodie and grabbed his radio. Numbuh 522 withdrew a similar one from inside his fishing vest.

"Numbuh 522 here, go ahead."

_"Roger. This place looks like a dead end, man. It looks like the common cold vaccine and G.O.J.O.E. are the main projects goin' on down here. The only other projects in the works are prototype training robots and a stupid giant baking soda volcano for doofus's school's science fair. Yeah that's right, I said it! Huh?! Yeah, that's what I thought!"_

"Dude, move the mic _away_ from your face when you yell at people."

_"Sorry. But yeah, this thing is dumb."_

"I believe it. So what about those fighting robots? What can you tell me about those?"

_"Apparently they were supposed to one-up the training robots some of the Sectors use in every way. They'd even be capable of carrying out simple missions. But the design is complicated, and they haven't been able to get a working prototype up and runnin' yet."_

Trent frowned. Something didn't seem right. "So, they've done everything right, but it won't work, for some mysterious reason? Like with G.O.J.O.E.?"

Numbuh 522 looked over at him. "That's... an inconvenient coincidence. For our side. Why aren't any of these projects working?"

_"You think there's some sabotage goin' on? That there's a mole down here?"_

"It's entirely possible. Look, stay with Numbuh 362. We're almost to Numbuh 08. Hopefully he'll slip and let us in on whatever it is he's in on. If nothing else, we'll make sure he doesn't try anything while we're here."

_"I copy, bro. Have fun hanging out with him."_

Numbuh 522 scoffed as he put away his radio. "Right."

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Right, so, I've come to the conclusion that I enjoy writing existing characters in the KND universe more than OCs. I like writing OCs, but mainly in original stories. Plus, I can't even hope to match the cast that's already in place. Also, I feel like I've got a much better grasp on the characters now, especially considering I was only about halfway through watching the series when I started this. I definitely want to do a redux of this story later on down the line. _Much_ later.  
**

**Aiight, I'm gonna go to bed now. XD  
**

**Have a good one, all,  
**

** - Marty  
**


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